Chapter 146

Chapter 146: Methods

Only then did Zong Cheng Ping truly understand who stood behind Wang Jie.

He didn’t know exactly what Zhi Xing Xue’s identity was, but someone from the Zhi family—let alone a Grand Elder—was a mountain he could never climb. Even their maids ranked above him.

Wu Yun’s voice came again, low and steady. “If I dared move against you, I wouldn’t fear your backer.”

Wang Jie gave a cold laugh. “Of course. You wouldn’t have made a move without checking first.”

“But you still can’t touch me. I’ll keep doing whatever I want in Suo Xing Jian. What can you do about it?”

“You underestimate Black-White Heaven,” Wu Yun said. “Suo Xing Jian may have its rules, but rules always bow to power.”

“And does that power belong to you,” Wang Jie asked, “or to the Zhi family?”

Wu Yun’s tone turned colder. “Since Zong Cheng Ping is half-dead, ask him whether I have a way to kill you.”

“Wang Jie, you’re too arrogant. Don’t you know that what’s too hard breaks too easily?”

“I know,” Wang Jie said. “That’s why I’m giving you a way out.”

“Give me another share of the materials Four Alliances and Lone Peak Gorge handed in. I won’t stir trouble in Suo Xing Jian again. Refuse, and you’ll never be able to meddle in Suo Xing Jian again—not even a little.”

“A tiny lockforce cultivator dares to threaten Steward Hall?”

“Try me.”

“Then we’ll let you try.”

The call cut.

Wang Jie looked at Zong Cheng Ping. “What can she do to me?”

Zong Cheng Ping’s face was pale, his voice careful. “You’ll find out soon. There are many methods. There are rules you can see, and rules you can’t.”

“If the open rules can’t touch you, they’ll use the hidden ones.”

“Unless you can defeat a Roaming-Star Realm expert.”

Wang Jie rubbed his forehead.

He’d thought Wu Yun might bend under threat. Instead, he’d underestimated just how ugly the Zhi family’s internal struggle could get.

Zhi Xing Xue’s attitude made it clear: those above didn’t care about materials. They cared about face.

Wang Jie had no doubt that if he betrayed Zhi Xing Xue right now, Wu Yun would reward him generously.

Too bad he wasn’t that kind of person.

For now, he could only take things one step at a time.

—

In a dark, empty space, meteors streaked past like silent blades.

A man lay on the ground, still as a corpse.

A voice rang out.

The surrounding void lit up at once, revealing a prison—an invisible cage.

“Prisoner Shen Wang injured a guard, broke out of custody, and fled to Suo Xing Jian. Begin pursuit.”

“Warning: the fugitive is extremely vicious. Anyone below Roaming-Star Realm is forbidden from engaging. Kill on sight.”

A photograph drifted down and landed on the man’s face.

His eyes opened.

He stared at the person in the photo.

Wang Jie?

A Ten Seals lockforce cultivator who could defeat a Full-Star Realm expert with one hundred thousand battle power.

A peerless genius.

Perfect.

He loved killing geniuses most.

He stood, tucked away the photo, and walked out.

No one stopped him. The path was clear.

His name was Shen Wang, a Roaming-Star Realm expert. He had once defied orders and fled from Star-Cloud Battlefield, committing a grave offense. Black-White Heaven had imprisoned him for it.

On this day, he escaped.

—

In Zhi Upper Realm, an old crone rushed to Zhi Xing Xue and whispered in her ear.

Zhi Xing Xue’s face darkened with fury. “They actually dare?”

The old crone sighed. “Master, you did something similar back then.”

Zhi Xing Xue went still. Her gaze turned heavy.

“Contact Wang Jie,” she said at last. “I need to speak with him as soon as possible.”

—

In Suo Xing Jian, Wang Jie’s personal terminal rang.

He had already released Zong Cheng Ping. No one would dare surround and attack him again—for now.

He still planned to find a quiet place and absorb lockforce first.

“Brother Wang,” came the message. “Zhi Upper Realm is calling.”

Wang Jie went straight back to the shop.

“Grand Elder,” he said, voice steady, “this disciple Wang Jie reports.”

Zhi Xing Xue’s voice came through, grave. “Today, a Roaming-Star Realm prisoner escaped from Black-White Heaven’s prison. He has fled to Suo Xing Jian. You must be careful.”

Wang Jie’s expression tightened. “They can do that?”

“My position in Black-White Heaven is poor,” Zhi Xing Xue said. “Back then, I all but left the Zhi family and went to Third Nebula. Now it’s difficult for me to speak.”

“I cannot stop this. There may be other things I cannot stop, either. I can only shelter you under the rules that can be seen.”

She paused, then said, “But I can promise you this. Every time you accomplish something, I will reward you beyond what you can imagine.”

“That is my promise.”

Wang Jie straightened, voice firm. “Senior, you honor me.”

“Back then, Senior helped protect Silver Radiance Empire. This disciple can never repay that kindness. Rest assured—this disciple will not disgrace you, even in death.”

Zhi Xing Xue let out a slow breath. Her voice turned complicated. “I have already sent something to Suo Xing Jian. I hope it can help you.”

“Child… take care.”

The call ended.

Wang Jie stood there, his mood sinking.

Wu Yun’s retaliation had come far faster than he expected.

She didn’t play games. She threw a Roaming-Star Realm expert at him and trampled Suo Xing Jian’s rules underfoot.

And no one could fault her for it, because Shen Wang was an escaped prisoner.

He had no choice but to hide.

The moment he left the shop, Miao Tai contacted him in a rush. “Lord, bad news! The sect has issued a wanted notice. A Roaming-Star Realm fugitive has come to Suo Xing Jian—he’s coming for you!”

Wang Jie kept his voice calm. “I know. Do they use this kind of method often?”

“I’ve never lived through it,” Miao Tai said, voice heavy, “but there have been a few cases in history. Every time, Suo Xing Jian’s balance changed completely.”

He swallowed. “I can’t imagine what kind of Lord could arrange this.”

“First, letting a Roaming-Star Realm prisoner escape is insanely difficult. You have to smooth relations on every side and hide it from everyone.”

“Second, you have to keep Discipline Hall from acting. Hunting fugitives is one of their duties. The moment they enter Suo Xing Jian, the fugitive won’t dare show himself.”

“In other words, the instant that fugitive stepped free, someone had already adjusted most of the sect’s relationships. Their reach… is terrifying.”

“Wu Yun, a mere steward, can’t do that.”

Wang Jie already knew. The hand behind Wu Yun was someone in the Zhi family who stood opposite Zhi Xing Xue.

A Star-Refining Realm expert, at minimum.

Even in Black-White Heaven, that kind of person sat at the top.

Wang Jie ended the call, blocked Miao Tai, put on his mask, and disappeared.

Until his imprints were fully deepened to Tianfan, he would not show his face.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

Wang Jie began deepening his fourth imprint.

At Lone Peak Gorge, a guest arrived.

His presence alone was suffocating, like a feral beast made human. He stood in Fu An’s courtyard, and the entire street seemed to hold its breath.

Zong Cheng Ping, Fu An, Lie Qiu, and the others were already waiting. The moment the man arrived, they bowed. “Greetings, Lord.”

It was Shen Wang.

He didn’t even look at them. He sprawled onto Fu An’s chair, rocked it once, and lifted his eyes. “Where’s Wang Jie?”

“Where is he?”

Fu An and the others looked to Zong Cheng Ping.

Zong Cheng Ping answered respectfully. “His whereabouts are unknown. He likely heard Lord had arrived and hid.”

Shen Wang’s brows knotted. “Useless. Fine, you couldn’t kill him. But you don’t even know where he is?”

No one dared respond. Shen Wang was a fugitive—he could kill anyone without fear of consequences.

“Go find him,” Shen Wang snarled. “Use your brains.”

They scrambled out.

Fu An didn’t even want to stay in his own home. He only wanted to get as far away from Shen Wang as possible.

Time passed.

Wang Jie began deepening his fifth imprint.

Outside, things seemed calm—but Zong Cheng Ping’s people were tearing Suo Xing Jian apart looking for him.

Every cultivator under their command was sent out. Even ships traveling the void multiplied.

Still, they couldn’t find Wang Jie.

They couldn’t find Miao Tai, either.

Last time Miao Tai was found, he suffered. This time he learned his lesson: he shut off his terminal entirely and vanished. When someone truly wanted to hide and refused all outside information, they were almost impossible to locate.

Shen Wang grew more and more impatient.

He couldn’t stay in Suo Xing Jian for long. Those above could delay Discipline Hall’s deadline for his capture, but that deadline still existed. He had to kill Wang Jie and escape Fourth Nebula before time ran out—and the longer things dragged on, the smaller his odds became.

He didn’t want to return to that sunless cell.

The more his anxiety grew, the more violent he became. He even killed Qiu Zhao.

Fu An and the others were furious, faces dark. Wang Jie hadn’t killed Qiu Zhao. Shen Wang, a fugitive, did it without hesitation.

From then on, Fu An and the rest kept their distance, contacting him only through terminals when they had to.

A few days later, Shen Wang finally snapped out a plan. “That Wang Jie needs lockforce materials. Then ship a batch in. Dangle bait so rich he can’t resist.”

“Lord,” someone said carefully, “it’s too obvious. He won’t fall for it.”

Shen Wang’s gaze turned sharp. “Oh? Then what’s your plan?”

“We’ll follow Lord’s orders,” Zong Cheng Ping said, “but we have no materials left. If we want more, we must request them from those above.”

“Then request them,” Shen Wang said flatly. “Tell them this too: if I don’t kill Wang Jie before my deadline, I’ll kill all of you. If I’m going to die, we die together.”

“I’m not going back to prison, and neither are you living in peace.”

Zong Cheng Ping had no choice but to contact Wu Yun.

Wu Yun understood perfectly that such an obvious trap wouldn’t draw Wang Jie out—but she had no better option.

Wang Jie had no weakness in Suo Xing Jian. There was no one to threaten, no one to squeeze. Even Miao Tai, if found, wouldn’t work—and Miao Tai couldn’t be found anyway.

So they shipped a batch of lockforce materials in and planned to improvise.

Time passed again.

Wang Jie finished his daily routine drenched in sweat. Seven imprints were already deepened to Tianfan. The remaining materials were a drop in the bucket—nowhere near enough to finish the eighth imprint.

He didn’t know what was happening outside anymore.

He turned on his terminal and checked.

One glance, and he froze.

The biggest news in Suo Xing Jian was a robbery. A massive quantity of disaster materials had been stolen. The thief’s name was Qiu Chou—the only Roaming-Star Realm lockforce cultivator in Suo Xing Jian.

Wang Jie scrolled, then let out a quiet laugh.

Interesting.

That quantity was enormous—on the same scale as what Zong Cheng Ping had handed him. It couldn’t have come from Suo Xing Jian itself. It had been shipped in from Black-White Heaven.

Bait for him.

Only he hadn’t moved.

Qiu Chou had.

Qiu Chou and Shen Wang were both Roaming-Star Realm experts. With one side unprepared, Shen Wang couldn’t protect the shipment.

No one expected Qiu Chou to strike. Not Wu Yun, not Zong Cheng Ping’s people. They’d likely forgotten Qiu Chou even existed.

Wang Jie put on his mask and stepped out. He wasn’t fearless, but he wasn’t helpless either.

He returned to the shop to contact Zhi Xing Xue. The little attendant had tried to reach him more than two months ago. It had to be Zhi Xing Xue, and the item she sent must have arrived.

This time, he didn’t cut the line. He queued like everyone else, wary of being noticed.