Chapter 118

Chapter 118: Life and Death by a Thread

The Roaming-Star Realm luo bonefolk attacked upward, blasting the broken swords from below. One after another, blades shattered completely, exploding into glittering fragments that ripped through the sky.

Creatures on Deepweight Star turned their heads. Lu Luo Kingdom warriors, yes—but also strange, misshapen things.

Puppets.

The last shattered sword didn’t break until it was already in space.

Those swords had pierced through Deepweight Star itself, stabbing beyond the planet’s boundary into the starry sky.

At the same moment, Wang Jie slammed back into the mountain range. He grabbed his personal terminal and sent the message, not caring whether it would work.

He’d used the IOU Slip to force a peak strike with Sword Rig for one reason: to punch a hole in Deepweight Star’s blockade long enough to get a signal out.

To warn the sect.

And to pull the Roaming-Star Realm monster’s attention off his escape.

This was the worst case he’d imagined.

Life and death on a single thread.

Beep.

The message sent.

Far away, the monitoring station received it.

A disciple stared at the screen, face draining. “N-no way…”

The other froze for a heartbeat—then moved. “It’s from Guest Elder Wang Jie. Whether it’s true or not, we have to forward it.”

He typed fast and sent it to the sect. Then doubt surfaced, sharp and confused. “But why is Guest Elder Wang Jie on Deepweight Star?”

Inside Frostflower Sect, one high-level figure after another received the forwarded message.

Deepweight Star has Lu Luo Kingdom enemies — Guest Elder Wang Jie.

Twelve words.

They detonated across the sect like a bomb.

In Frostflower Domain, Elder Yan stared at his own terminal, face bone-white.

No.

He’d been exposed.

A call snapped in.

Cold Domain Lord Zhu Cheng’s voice was tight with fury. “What happened? How did this leak? How did Wang Jie find out?”

Elder Yan’s jaw clenched. “The disciple who entered Deepweight Star must have been him in disguise. This isn’t the time to argue about whose fault it is.”

“Move,” Zhu Cheng said. “Now.”

Within moments, Frostflower Domain’s personal-terminal network went dark.

Ship control systems dropped offline.

The sect erupted into chaos.

Outer Court. Outer Sect. Inner Sect—disciples poured into the streets, shouting for the execution of internal enemies and screaming Wen Guan’s name with confusion and rage.

At Xia Peak, Sect Master Wen Guan stepped out and looked toward Deepweight Star.

A terrifying aura rolled from that direction—Star-Refining Realm, heavy enough to make the sky feel bruised.

“Old Ancestor Kuang Xiao of the Mad Clan,” Wen Guan said, voice carrying. “I didn’t expect you weren’t in the Ninth Star Chain. You were here instead.”

He stepped into the air, walking into the sky.

Wang Jie had been wrong.

He’d thought the underground breathing belonged to a Lu Luo Kingdom Hundred-Star Realm existence.

He’d been completely wrong.

The mountains around him melted as if they were wax. The earth convulsed. Deepweight Star trembled under an aura so vast the planet itself seemed unable to bear it.

Lu Luo Kingdom warriors fell to their knees in terror, heads pressed down, not daring to look up.

From beneath the earth emerged an Eight-Prisons Mad Clan being.

Its presence flooded the world like a tide meant to drown heaven and earth. Even Deepweight Star—strange and heavy as it was—felt fragile beneath it.

A single glance from that being crushed the Roaming-Star Realm luo bonefolk until it vomited blood.

“Senior… spare me,” the Roaming-Star Realm luo bonefolk begged, face pressed to the ground.

The Mad Clan being didn’t even look at it properly. Its gaze slid past and landed on Wang Jie, half-buried in stone.

“Useless,” it said, voice thick with contempt. “You couldn’t even deal with a Ten Seals human. You almost ruined our great plan.”

The Roaming-Star Realm luo bonefolk swelled—terror twisting its features—

—and exploded.

Blood sprayed in all directions.

No Lu Luo Kingdom warrior dared to make a sound.

Wang Jie stared, eyes empty with despair.

It was over.

This wasn’t a small infiltration. This was war.

And he had fallen into the war’s center.

In his mind, fragments flashed—Silver Radiance Empire. Frostflower Sect’s supposed war against the Mad Clan. The “invasion” of the Ninth Star Chain.

Lies.

All lies.

This being was too terrifying. It could only be one thing: the rumored Mad Clan Old Ancestor, the one said to have been heavily wounded.

If it was hiding here, then the so-called invasion war had been staged from the beginning.

Pressure descended like the universe itself had decided to crush him.

The world darkened—pitch-black, swallowing color.

Wang Jie felt his body nearing rupture.

So this is it…

Then the pressure vanished in an instant.

Two forces collided near him. The shockwave slammed into Wang Jie; he spat blood, his skin tearing open as he was drenched in red.

A voice spoke, calm and strange.

“Old friend. Spare him once—how about it?”

The Mad Clan being turned.

A puppet stood there, only half a person tall, its shape unclear.

“Reason,” the Mad Clan being said.

The puppet approached slowly. “He’s an ant. Killing him or not has no value to you.”

It paused, as if tasting the words.

“Give me face.”

The Mad Clan being withdrew its gaze from Wang Jie as if he didn’t exist. It lifted its head toward the stars and roared, “Wen Guan! Come—fight to the death!”

Then it leapt.

The starry sky tore like cloth.

In a blink, it was gone.

Only then did the kneeling Lu Luo Kingdom warriors breathe again.

The puppet’s voice carried, cold and commanding. “Go to war.”

Luo bones shot up from the land one after another. Each carried thousands, tens of thousands of Lu Luo Kingdom warriors, surging into space.

Not only Deepweight Star.

On other neglected planets across the region, luo bones erupted too, launching into the starry sea toward Frostflower Domain.

The war had been hidden under calm waters all along.

Wang Jie had simply been unlucky enough to step into the whirlpool’s heart.

He lay in the mountain, too weak to even swallow another revival pill.

But he was alive.

A gentle force dragged him free, carried him past the 180x gravity zone, and laid him on open ground.

Without that crushing weight, he could finally breathe. Blood poured from his mouth, but he could still force himself upright.

The puppet stood before him.

“You’re… a puppeteer?” Wang Jie rasped.

The puppet spoke. “Little Round Lake. Jiang Yun Ji.”

It paused.

“Jiang You Sheng’s Master Grandfather.”

Wang Jie’s eyes widened. “You’re Tower Lord Jiang’s Master Grandfather?”

“Yes.” Jiang Yun Ji’s voice didn’t change. “You’re Wang Jie. A chen refiner. I’ve seen you.”

Wang Jie blinked, thrown.

“Some puppets can record,” Jiang Yun Ji said. “After Jiang You Sheng broke through the Fourth Defense Line in Frostflower Sect and survived, there had to be an explanation. Otherwise he would be suspected of colluding with the enemy. We saw everything he did—so we also saw you.”

Understanding snapped into place.

Wang Jie tried to stand fully, but his body refused. “Thank you, Senior… for saving me.”

Jiang Yun Ji let out something like a faint sigh. “War is about sides. You and I are both humans. Besides, Frostflower Sect is finished anyway. Your stance doesn’t matter.”

A beat.

“Consider this repaying the favor you did him.”

Then the puppet’s tone turned cold. “But you’re coming with me. To Little Round Lake.”

Wang Jie had no room to refuse. “Understood,” he said hoarsely. “But… may I first go to Silver Radiance Empire and check something?”

Jiang Yun Ji stepped into the starry sky. “If you’ve got the ability, go.”

He paused and looked aside. “Little Five. I’m leaving him to you. Watch him well.”

Then the puppet vanished into space.

Wang Jie turned his head.

Another puppet stood nearby—smaller, lighter in silhouette.

This must be Little Five.

The pressure she gave off was far beyond Full-Star Realm. Roaming-Star Realm, at least.

Only then did the knot in Wang Jie’s chest loosen.

He swallowed a revival pill, grimacing.

He looked into the heavens. War had begun—a war to erase Frostflower Sect. He’d fallen into its center and somehow crawled out.

Good deeds, good results.

If he hadn’t saved Jiang You Sheng, he’d be dead.

To Star-Refining Realm beings, a chen refiner’s value was nothing compared to rage.

The universe rippled again—aftershocks from a Star-Refining Realm battle far away. Deepweight Star shuddered.

Wang Jie swallowed and looked at Little Five. “Should we hide? The planet won’t explode, right?”

“It won’t,” Little Five said. “They’re fighting far away.”

“Far away doesn’t mean safe,” Wang Jie snapped. “Star-Refining Realm can span impossible distances with a flick of the wrist. If I die to some random aftermath now, that’s just cruel.”

Little Five’s puppet tilted its head. “You’re weird. You fought Lu Luo Kingdom to the death for days, and now you’re scared?”

“That was different,” Wang Jie said, voice tight. “I fought that hard to survive.”

“Hmph. Grandfather will protect us.”

“That Senior is your grandfather?”

“What’s it to you?”

“You sound young,” Wang Jie said. “Roaming-Star Realm at your age is impressive.”

Little Five’s puppet slammed a fist into the ground.

Dust exploded upward. Wang Jie coughed, choking on grit and blood.

“Little kid,” Little Five snapped, “who are you calling young? You’re the young one. This miss is plenty grown.”

She leaned down, voice sharp. “And don’t try anything clever. Digging a tunnel to escape—seriously? You’re a scheming little bastard. Listen carefully: if you try to run, I’ll kill you.”

Her tone turned colder.

“Senior Brother Jiang’s debt is repaid. We don’t owe you anything.”

Wang Jie coughed again, swallowing pain. “Look at me. What am I going to do in this state? You’re too cautious.”

“Senior Brother Jiang said you’re extremely smart,” Little Five shot back. “Otherwise you wouldn’t have succeeded in Qing Shan Cheng. I know what you’re doing—you were fishing for information. I’m not dumber than you. Watch yourself.”

Wang Jie shut his mouth.

Some time later, Deepweight Star shook again. He glanced at Little Five, still honestly worried the planet might crack.

Meanwhile, Frostflower Sect’s internal collapse accelerated.

At Mist Peak, Xia Xiao Nian stood in fury, glaring at Elder Yan. He hadn’t expected an elder to be the traitor.

Master Luan’s face was grim. “Old Yan… who are you working for?”

“Don’t tell me it’s the Mad Clan. You look down on those brainless beasts.”

“It isn’t Little Round Lake, either—you’re not skilled in puppetry.”

“And it’s not Lu Luo Kingdom cannon fodder, for sure.”

Elder Yan sat calmly. “Master Luan, don’t ask. After this battle, Frostflower Sect will disappear. But I can guarantee your status won’t change. You’ll simply live somewhere else, with better conditions.”

Master Luan’s gaze turned complicated as he looked out into the distance.

He was Hundred-Star Realm. Elder Yan was also Hundred-Star Realm—and far more battle-capable. With Elder Yan here, he couldn’t help the outside world at all.

Elsewhere at Mist Peak, Master Que Yi clenched his fists and stared at Tao Er. “You’re a traitor.”

Tao Er bowed low. “This disciple had no choice. Master, forgive me.”

A Frostflower Sect Roaming-Star Realm Steward stood nearby—yet now he stood on the opposite side. “Master Que Yi, why be angry? We won’t disrespect you. You’re simply moving somewhere else.”

“That’s right.” Master Xu approached, smiling. “The forging branch lives anywhere, doesn’t it?”

Master Que Yi stared at him. “Who is behind you?”

Master Xu’s smile deepened. “You’ll know soon.”

At Rainbow Peak, dozens of Inner Sect disciples fought in brutal chaos. Xia Bei Yi held his arrows but didn’t move.

Someone was watching him.

A man named Xia Zhong.

Xia Zhong—the leading True Inheritor disciple of Frostflower Sect, a Roaming-Star Realm powerhouse.

A traitor.

Below, Huai Si wore a faint smile as the Inner Sect was gradually brought under control. With Xia Zhong acting, the disciples couldn’t resist.

There had been surprises, but the plan held.

Years spent in Frostflower Sect—courting factions, learning every weakness—were paying off.

Control the three peaks, and you controlled Frostflower Domain.