Chapter 142
Chapter 142: Audacious Beyond Measure
Wang Jie exhaled deeply. As soon as Nie Zhou mentioned Lan Chang nation, he knew trouble was brewing. He wasn’t a good person, but neither was he someone who would disregard human life just for the sake of materials.
To Nie Zhou, the Lan Chang nation was insignificant. He could capture the essence of human nature in an instant.
And now, Wang Jie had been captured.
Miao Tai hadn’t expected this. He had been following Wang Jie for a while, but hadn’t yet figured out his true nature.
So this was one of the Four Alliances, Nie Zhou?
Would he dare to gamble? And would Wang Jie?
Wang Jie glanced at Nie Zhou. “Alright, then. Let’s make this gamble.”
Nie Zhou sneered, his gaze ferocious. “Then let’s start by killing ten million to liven things up.” He moved to strike, but Wang Jie’s voice suddenly cut through the air: “I won’t kill Feng’s brother, nor will I kill Lie Qiu, but I can kill you.”
Nie Zhou froze, his eyes turning grim.
The murderous intent in Wang Jie’s eyes surged, freezing the air in the few-meter radius. Those at a distance, however, remained unaware of the tension. “Lie Qiu and the others are still alive. Do you think I’m soft-hearted?”
“You’ve seen through my character, so tell me, do you think I’ll spare you to vent my anger?”
Nie Zhou’s eyes flickered, but he didn’t respond.
Wang Jie lightly tapped the table. “Let’s change the wager to one that benefits both of us. Use your life to buy the lives of the 230 million people in Lan Chang nation.”
“How do we do it?”
“I’ll make one move. If you think you can survive it, I’ll walk away immediately. If you think you’ll die, you hand over the materials. That’s the reason for your inevitable defeat.”
Nie Zhou locked eyes with Wang Jie. After several breaths, he finally agreed: “Alright.”
Wang Jie raised a finger and pointed.
The Starry Finger technique unfolded.
The entire space seemed to be replaced by the vastness of the stars. Countless stars revolved, and innumerable finger shadows converged. This was the technique he hadn’t even used on Lie Qiu or Feng’s brother. Only Zong Cheng Ping had witnessed it, and he had admitted to being unable to defeat it.
This was Wang Jie’s justification for dealing with Nie Zhou.
It was the Star Method.
Nie Zhou watched as the finger shadows approached. An indescribable sense of helplessness washed over him, and he felt as if he had lost control over his own body, his form weightless.
He gazed at the dreamlike stars.
This wasn’t just the Star Method—it was the Lock Method. The Star Method, executed with lock force instead of starforce.
This man actually knew the Star Method?
No wonder Zong Cheng Ping couldn’t do anything about it.
His face turned pale, and he suddenly sprang to his feet, knocking over his chair. Everything around him seemed to return to normal, as if nothing had happened.
In the restaurant, everyone stared.
Gasping for air, sweat dripping from his forehead, Nie Zhou fixed his wide eyes on Wang Jie, disbelief written all over his face.
Wang Jie lowered his hand and looked out the window again.
In peaceful times, the heart was calm—whether busy or struggling for survival. He hadn’t felt this peaceful in a long time.
The spaceship sailed through the universe, the next stop, Lone Peak Gorge.
Miao Tai looked at Wang Jie’s back, hesitated, then spoke up, “What are you thinking?”
Wang Jie turned, “What do you want to say?”
Miao Tai respectfully responded, “Nie Zhou is a dangerous man. If we don’t kill him now, there will be consequences. His heart is too cruel. The outside world thinks Lan Chang nation is his favorite place, but who would’ve thought he’s using it as a trump card for survival?”
Wang Jie’s expression remained indifferent. “If a person is so easily understood, they can’t survive in this starry universe.”
He wasn’t young, but he had seen the end of Blue Star and witnessed countless things.
Some say it’s cruel, but for those who do it, it’s simply a matter of survival. People will stop at nothing to live, and that is the most basic truth.
Of course, revenge was also a basic principle.
It all came down to who was stronger.
They went directly to find Fu An. Fu An was the strongest of the five in Lone Peak Gorge, though even he had a power level of only seventy thousand, far weaker than Lie Qiu and Nie Zhou.
Wang Jie arrived at the small courtyard again, where, aside from Fu An, he also met Cui Four and another unfamiliar full-star realm cultivator, Qi Sheng.
“Wang Jie?” Cui Four was surprised by his arrival.
Qi Sheng frowned. What was he doing here? They didn’t want to get involved with him.
Wang Jie looked at Fu An. “Senior, apologies, but I need to do something… extreme.”
Fu An raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
At that moment, Fu An’s personal terminal rang. He didn’t want to answer, but seeing who it was, he decided to pick it up—Zong Cheng Ping.
“Answer it,” Wang Jie said.
Fu An opened the call. “Senior Zong.”
Zong Cheng Ping’s voice came through. “Has Wang Jie found you?”
Fu An glanced at Wang Jie. “Yes, he just arrived.”
“Let me speak to him.”
Wang Jie spoke, “I’m right here. Senior, you can speak directly.”
Zong Cheng Ping’s tone grew serious. “Do you know what you’ve done?”
“Yes, it was extreme.”
“You’re courting death.”
Fu An and the others were shocked. What could possibly make Zong Cheng Ping so angry? They hadn’t seen the usually composed Lock Path interval expert this furious in a long time. Even the Sword Mastery Heaven incident hadn’t brought this level of rage.
Wang Jie stood, hands behind his back. “I may be courting death, but trouble is certain. Senior, are you planning to take action on their behalf?”
Zong Cheng Ping responded, “Their matters are not for me to decide. But you haven’t just offended them, you’ve offended the people behind them. Ask Fu An, who’s behind Lone Peak Gorge? Didn’t Lie Qiu and the others tell you? They are all backed by Black White Heaven.”
“Did you think about the consequences of taking their things, or do you believe the power behind you surpasses theirs?”
Fu An and the others exchanged glances, stunned. He’d actually taken something from Lie Qiu and the others?
He had the guts to do such a thing?
Now they understood why Wang Jie had mentioned doing something extreme upon arriving—he was here to rob. With this realization, Qi Sheng instinctively drew his weapon.
Cui Four took a few steps back.
Wang Jie looked at Fu An’s terminal and slowly said, “If I dare to do it, I dare to bear the consequences.”
Zong Cheng Ping was silent for a moment before replying, “It seems I underestimated you. Let’s see what happens with those consequences.” After a brief pause, he added, “You don’t plan to rob me, do you?”
Wang Jie smiled. “When I’m certain, I’ll definitely come to visit you, Senior.”
Zong Cheng Ping abruptly ended the call.
The atmosphere in the room was strangely tense.
Fu An and the others kept their wary eyes on Wang Jie, and Miao Tai instinctively moved outside.
Wang Jie sat back down. “Lie Qiu, Feng’s brother, and Nie Zhou—I’ve taken everything. Now, do you three want to hand it over voluntarily, or would you prefer to suffer a little before doing so? I don’t mind stretching my muscles.”
“I’ll hand it over,” Cui Four said without hesitation.
Qi Sheng glared at him. “Have you no backbone?”
Cui Four pressed his lips together. “Better than dying.”
Fu An shook his head, a bitter expression on his face. “I’ll hand it over too.”
Wang Jie turned to Qi Sheng.
Qi Sheng, unwilling, gripped his weapon tightly, but under Wang Jie’s gaze, he slowly released it.
The spaceship took off again.
Wang Jie’s mood lightened. Now, aside from Zong Cheng Ping, everything in the Lock Path interval had been seized. The bulk of it was now in his hands.
Based on his calculations, the cataclysm materials in his possession were enough to push five of his seals to the Heaven Reversal level.
Five seals—still too few.
The Lock Path interval occupied an entire star link, gathering cultivators from the Fourth Star Cloud Lock Force, a treasure trove of resources. Perhaps even the Second Star Cloud and the First Star Cloud couldn’t rival it.
This had only provided him with half the materials. Where would he get the rest?
It was a headache.
No matter. He would just continue cultivating.
He would use up the materials and see what came next. There were so many storage rings on him, it was easy to get lost in them.
Soon after, they found a secluded spot to enter seclusion. Wang Jie deliberately separated from Miao Tai, just in case Miao Tai betrayed him. It’s always wise to be cautious of others.
A month passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, Miao Tai contacted him. “Lord, Black White Heaven wants to speak with you.”
Wang Jie raised an eyebrow. He knew this day would come. “Alright.”
A strange voice echoed through the terminal—it was a woman. She hadn’t contacted Miao Tai directly, but had instead routed the message through his personal terminal. She was probably in one of the shops with external communication.
Miao Tai, being clever, had hidden himself.
“Deacon Wu Yun asked me to tell you that it’s not too late to apologize, return the materials, and let bygones be bygones. You can even become the Fifth Alliance.”
Wang Jie replied indifferently, “I’m not interested. Since the materials are in my hands, I see no reason to return them. If they have the ability, let them come take them back.”
“Do you know what you’re doing, Wang Jie? Lock Path interval has its own rules, which is fine, but you can’t stay there forever. Wu Yun has ways of getting you out. When that time comes, whether you’re a slave to Black White Heaven or on the star cloud battlefield, it will be worse than death. A small lock force cultivator like you isn’t worth Wu Yun’s time.”
Wang Jie smiled. “Is that so? Then tell her to open her eyes wide.”
“Arrogant. Who’s behind you to give you such courage?”
“Zhi Xing Xue.”
Wang Jie stated it plainly. If he had sought the elder Xing Xue as his backing, it was only right to announce it. Otherwise, what was the point? Xing Xue had told him not to embarrass her, which simply meant he could act under her banner.
The other side fell silent, then abruptly ended the conversation.
Wang Jie lowered his hand, continuing to absorb lock force.
Not long after, in the Upper Realm, a woman stood outside a courtyard, bowing respectfully. “Zhi Shu, I seek an audience with Grand Aunt Zhi. Please inform her.”
Soon after, Zhi Shu entered the courtyard and saw Xing Xue, who was watering flowers.
“Give your greeting to Grand Aunt,” Xing Xue’s tone was calm. “What’s the matter?”
Zhi Shu, the same woman who had stood behind two elders and obstructed resources, now appeared respectful but with no trace of reverence in her eyes. “Grand Aunt, the people you brought here are behaving inappropriately. I’m here to inform you.”
“You know whether my people have stolen any tools. Do you believe it, a Seventh Grade Grand Artisan being robbed by a few juniors?” she replied with a raised eyebrow.
“The juniors naturally don’t believe it, which is why they’ll investigate. However, I’m not here for the matter of Zhi Academy.”
Xing Xue’s heart stirred. “Then what’s the matter?”
“Do you remember someone named Wang Jie?”
Xing Xue nodded, “Yes, there’s a little fellow by that name. What about him?”
Zhi Shu answered, “This person has been acting recklessly in Lock Path interval, violating the rules, behaving unscrupulously. Please, Grand Aunt, teach him a lesson. After all, he is one of your people, and we’re not in a position to intervene.”
Xing Xue raised an eyebrow. “What has he done?”
Zhi Shu was unsure how to explain it. In Lock Path interval, no one was required to turn in materials. As long as a batch of lock force cultivators was submitted every year, they controlled the Four Alliances and Lone Peak Gorge from behind the scenes. On the surface, no one was supposed to meddle in Lock Path interval affairs.
Now, to bring it up, it wasn’t an easy thing to say.