Chapter 148
Chapter 148: The Sky Outside
Wang Jie saw an arc of energy whip through the air, like a long whip. Although he couldn’t see the whip itself, he could see the energy trail it left behind.
Boom!
The spaceship exploded.
Wang Jie stomped on the wreckage of the ship and, with a powerful push, launched himself toward the planet below.
The fiery glow behind him quickly faded as the whip lashed out, tearing the remnants of the spaceship apart in an instant. The fierce energy whipped through the air, scorching him with a searing pain wherever it touched, the sensation both burning and toxic.
He quickly swallowed a restoration pill, feeling his body accelerate toward the planet.
Behind him, someone was closing in. It was Shen Wang. He first glanced at the shattered spaceship—no one there? Then his eyes shifted toward the planet, locking onto Wang Jie. A cruel smile spread across his face as he raised his hand, and the black whip lashed out: “Kid, I’ve been looking for you. You’re dead.”
As he spoke, the whip shot through the air like a dragon, cutting through the void.
On the planet, Du Xian calmly watched the screen, which was showing the scene of Wang Jie being pursued. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “You didn’t buy the intelligence, so whether you live or die is up to your fate, customer.”
In the vastness of space, Wang Jie had no way to evade the strike of a wandering star realm expert. The only choice was to raise his left arm and block it head-on.
The whip descended, striking his left arm guard directly. The residual force slammed into his chest, creating a thunderous boom that sent him flying toward the planet, crashing hard.
Shen Wang pulled back his whip, sneering. This kid was as good as dead.
Even if the kid had ten seals, he wouldn’t survive a strike from a wandering star realm expert. That Qiu Chou might have stolen materials, but he lost half his life for it. This kid wasn’t reduced to rubble on the spot because Shen Wang intended to deliver his whole corpse as a trophy for higher-ups. Now, however, his heart would be shattered, poisoned, and he’d die.
Shen Wang took a step forward, heading toward the planet.
Meanwhile, several spaceships hovering outside the planet observed the scene. They hadn’t expected a wandering star realm expert to be in the Lock Path interval. The onlookers were terrified.
Such a powerful figure wasn’t just a battle problem; even if you were strong, if someone could crush your ship like that, you’d have no chance of survival—no room to resist.
Wang Jie plunged through the clouds, falling rapidly toward the planet below.
He looked at his arm. His entire left arm was numb. The guard was intact, but the force that passed through had paralyzed half of his body. His chest was unharmed, as the heart guard shield had blocked the wandering star realm attack.
Sword step.
A shadow of a sword flickered beneath his feet, pushing him forward with unnatural force.
Soon, Shen Wang landed. Surprised, he thought, He’s not dead? He attacked again. Wang Jie glanced back, merging his energy with his own. This time, the whip was stronger. It struck his chest, forcing a mouthful of blood from him. Yet, the force propelled him even faster toward the distant ground.
Still not dead? Impossible.
Shen Wang’s expression darkened. Three tribulations star artifact. This kid must have one.
He immediately gave chase. Let’s see where you can run.
However, Wang Jie wasn’t slow. He dove into a spaceship trading hall beneath the city, spat blood, and shouted, “Du Xian, I need to buy a spaceship!”
His booming voice echoed throughout the underground.
Inside the trading hall, Du Xian stared, stunned, at the battered Wang Jie, the bloodstains glaring on the floor. This guy had actually run here.
Shen Wang descended, shaking the ground.
He fixed his eyes on Wang Jie, taking a step forward, preparing to strike.
Wang Jie turned, saying, “Shen Wang, this is Star Dome Visage’s territory. Do you want to challenge the entire Star Dome Visage?”
Shen Wang paused. His gaze flickered. Star Dome Visage—others might not know, but he did. This was a real giant. Not even the entire Black White Heaven dared to provoke them. The more one knew, the more one feared Star Dome Visage.
He hadn’t expected Wang Jie to use Star Dome Visage as a shield.
Inside the trading hall, many were confused, glancing around. It’s just a spaceship trading hall. Can it really stop a wandering star realm expert from pursuing someone?
Yet, at this moment, Shen Wang stopped.
The more confident Wang Jie appeared, the more Shen Wang hesitated. He couldn’t be sure of Wang Jie’s ties to Star Dome Visage.
Because he wasn’t thinking about the present. He was thinking about the future.
If Black White Heaven could decide his life or death in the Fourth Star Cloud, Star Dome Visage could decide his fate across the entire universe.
In the grand scheme of things, Black White Heaven’s position was nothing compared to Star Dome Visage. Especially since Star Dome Visage controlled the largest intelligence network in the cosmos. If they wanted to take him down, it would be easy. There would be nowhere to hide.
That’s why he feared Star Dome Visage more than anyone.
Du Xian walked out, smiling at Wang Jie. “Customer, what are you doing? My trading hall doesn’t get involved in external disputes. Please, customer, don’t…”
“I came to buy a spaceship,” Wang Jie interrupted.
Du Xian’s eyes flickered, casting a glance at Shen Wang.
Wang Jie spoke again, “I’m buying a spaceship. You wouldn’t refuse me, right? I’m the customer.”
Du Xian smiled slightly. “Of course, customer. Please come in.”
Outside, Shen Wang followed them in.
Du Xian turned and smiled at him. “Is this customer also here to buy a spaceship?”
Shen Wang glared at Wang Jie. “You think I won’t strike here?”
Wang Jie didn’t even look back. “If I die here, someone will spread the word throughout the universe. The people at Zhi Family will know. Star Dome Visage has enough members that even if only one or two are dissatisfied with you, you won’t have it easy.”
“Plus, think about it. If someone from Zhi Family wants me dead, why not just do it themselves? Why go to all this trouble? You’re tangled in something you don’t even understand.”
Du Xian frowned. “Customer, we don’t get involved in external disputes. Star Dome Visage won’t interfere in your quarrels.”
Wang Jie turned to her. “So I came to buy a spaceship. Hurry up and serve the customer. I’m a big spender.” He spoke as he walked forward, never once looking back.
Could Shen Wang kill him here?
No.
Wang Jie was seventy percent sure, because Shen Wang had appeared outside the planet. How did he know he’d be here? The elder from Zhi Xing Xue wouldn’t have betrayed him. Miao Tai didn’t know where he was. Even if Du Xian had told him, he wouldn’t have come this quickly.
There was only one possibility. Shen Wang had guessed he would come here.
He also knew that Du Xian was the largest intelligence center in the Lock Path interval. Wang Jie was in desperate need of information.
The fact that Shen Wang knew this meant he wasn’t completely clueless about the outside world. The more he knew, the more he’d fear Star Dome Visage.
Giant entities didn’t care about ants, but if an ant knew about the giant and still provoked it, that was another matter.
Wang Jie had no choice but to gamble, betting that Shen Wang didn’t dare to stain Star Dome Visage with blood.
He didn’t dare.
If it had been anyone else, this trick wouldn’t have worked. But if it were anyone else, they wouldn’t have been able to ambush him outside the planet.
In the end, he had no choice. Nothing mattered. He could only gamble, because otherwise, he’d be playing with his life. Even if he lost, it was better than dying without a chance to fight. At least, he could buy some time now.
When Shen Wang didn’t strike immediately upon arriving, Wang Jie knew he had made the right bet.
He returned to the room they had used earlier.
The floor was marked with bloodstains. His breath was shallow, heart racing, unable to suppress the tension even though he knew Shen Wang wouldn’t strike.
It wasn’t until the door to the room closed behind him that he finally relaxed.
Du Xian had been watching him the entire time. Seeing him sit down exhausted, she spoke slowly, “Are you so sure he won’t strike?”
Wang Jie waved his hand. “What choice do I have?”
Du Xian nodded in admiration. “Among all the people I’ve seen, customer, you’re one of the few who are bold, sharp, and clever. Impressive. But aren’t you worried about the trouble you might cause by using Star Dome Visage like that?”
Wang Jie drank his tea in one go. “At life-and-death moments, I don’t have time to think about that. Stop wasting time. You were going to sell me intelligence earlier. It was about him waiting outside, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” Du Xian replied.
“Couldn’t you have given me a hint?”
“Would you have been able to afford it?”
“So you just watched me walk to my death?”
“Star Dome Visage doesn’t interfere in external disputes, customer. You’re just a customer.”
Wang Jie nodded. “That’s right. I’m just a customer.”
“Then can you tell me how you knew he was waiting outside?”
Du Xian smiled. “There are many sources for information. For this particular matter, it’s quite simple. He’s already killed three ten-seal cultivators who walked out of here.”
Wang Jie understood now. No wonder.
Shen Wang hadn’t recognized him; he wasn’t letting any ten-seal cultivators go. How ruthless.
This person was alive on the battlefield for a reason.
Du Xian looked at him seriously. “So, customer, it’s time for the transaction. What do you want to buy? I should remind you, Shen Wang’s reluctance to offend Star Dome Visage and your play with Star Dome Visage are of equal consequence. Please be clear on that, customer.”
Wang Jie met her gaze. “I understand.”
Du Xian smiled. “Then, let’s proceed. Let me introduce you to the spaceship models.”
Outside and inside the planet, countless people looked toward the underground, watching Shen Wang blocking the entrance of the trading hall. They couldn’t understand how a simple trading hall could stop a wandering star realm expert, let alone a notorious fugitive.
Most people from the Lock Path interval didn’t understand the true power of Star Dome Visage.
Even Fu An and others were unaware.
Only Zong Cheng Ping, hearing that Shen Wang hadn’t entered the Star Dome trading hall to kill, wasn’t surprised.
“What is going on with this Star Dome trading hall? Could it be related to the sect leader?” Liao Qiu wondered.
Zong Cheng Ping replied, his tone heavy, “It’s not related to the sect, but it’s bigger than any sect.”
Fu An, shocked, asked, “Bigger than Black White Heaven?”
Zong Cheng Ping nodded. “I’ve heard my master mention this. If I spent my entire life in the Fourth Star Cloud, then Black White Heaven would be my heaven. But if I left the Fourth Star Cloud, Star Dome Visage would be my heaven. Because Star Dome Visage controls the most intelligence in the universe, spanning all industries—spaceships, energy, news, population, artifact forging, alchemy, formation dao, even the most mysterious of star dao—they know it all. Their power stretches across the entire universe.”
“Even the legendary, most powerful Armor One Sect dares not offend them.”
“For anyone who might step out of the star cloud, offending Star Dome Visage is far worse than offending any other force. There’s nowhere to hide.”
Fu An finally understood. “So Shen Wang fears them. He has to escape the Fourth Star Cloud, so he doesn’t dare offend Star Dome Visage.”
Zong Cheng Ping praised, “Wang Jie played this well, but he can’t hide forever. It depends on how he breaks the situation. As long as Shen Wang is sure that Wang Jie isn’t connected to Star Dome Visage, he’ll have no problem killing him, even right there. He doesn’t have much time.”
At Black White Heaven, in the deacon’s hall, Wu Yun’s face was grim.
She had let a fugitive take action, and this fugitive, who actually knew something, was afraid of Star Dome Visage.
If it weren’t for this knowledge, anyone else would have rushed in to kill him.
She immediately ordered her subordinates to notify Shen Wang, “Tell him, if he doesn’t kill Wang Jie right now, I’ll make sure he can’t even leave the Fourth Star Cloud.”
“Yes.”
“Wait.” A man stepped forward and stopped her.
Wu Yun turned to look.
The man whispered something to her, and she vaguely heard the words Zhi Family. Wu Yun’s face changed upon hearing it. She ordered her subordinates to hold off and contacted Zhi Upper Realm.
Soon after, in Zhi Upper Realm, Zhi Shu requested an audience with Zhi Ye.
“Junior Zhi Shu greets second uncle.”