Chapter 150

Chapter 150: Break Out

Above a Star Chain–class ship, there were nebula-class vessels—but those started at one hundred million starstone. Wang Jie didn’t dare spend that kind of money. The more he paid, the heavier the debt of favor became. And there was another problem: Suo Xing Jian didn’t have any nebula-class ships for sale.

Custom-building one from scratch wasn’t something you finished in a few months.

It took years.

No one could afford to wait that long.

A Star Chain–class ship was more than enough.

Even so, five thousand starsea stone was already a staggering price. When Du Xian ran the numbers, even she had panicked for a moment. Suo Xing Jian had never seen a ship this expensive.

It was named the Shen Wang.

Wang Jie chose the name as a reminder—why he’d fallen into this mess, and how dangerous the outside world truly was.

Shen Wang stared up at the colossal ship descending from the sky. The words “Shen Wang” blazed across its hull, so clear it made his fists clench.

That little bastard.

Wang Jie rose.

The handover ceremony was noisy, lively, and deliberately public, turning Shen Wang into a beacon in the crowd.

Countless eyes slid toward him, expressions turning strange.

The Shen Wang. And Shen Wang hunting him.

A joke you couldn’t find anywhere else.

Right under Shen Wang’s nose, Wang Jie boarded the Shen Wang and vanished inside.

Shen Wang surged to his feet. Starforce erupted, shaking the planet.

The ship vibrated.

His eyes flared wide. That brat really dared to run?

Did he think a ship’s speed would carry him out?

Even if there was only the slimmest chance, as long as Shen Wang’s attack struck the hull once, the ship would be crippled.

Where did he get the nerve?

Then Shen Wang’s face tightened. He snapped his gaze toward space.

The long whips that sealed the planet from every direction were torn open by a streak of cold light.

Shen Wang bellowed, “Qiu Chou! You dare!”

No one expected Qiu Chou to appear. A single sword flash split the whips, the blade carving straight toward Shen Wang.

In that same instant, the Shen Wang’s engines ignited. Scorching exhaust roared as the ship blasted out of the ground and shot for the stars.

Shen Wang ignored Qiu Chou’s sword and cracked his lash toward the ship.

He would rather take the hit if it meant knocking the Shen Wang down.

But the next moment, he twisted, the whip curving away from the ship and snapping toward Qiu Chou instead.

Because that sword wasn’t meant to wound.

It was meant to kill.

How did Qiu Chou know his fatal weak point?

If it were an ordinary slash, Shen Wang could have endured it—paid the price in blood, killed Wang Jie afterward, and Qiu Chou still wouldn’t have been able to stop him.

But this strike carried the weight of death.

That was his weakness, the point he’d protected for years. No one should have known.

Inside the ship, Wang Jie stared at the screen. When he saw the whip peel away, he finally let out a breath.

Just as he’d predicted.

He’d studied Shen Wang for three months, using Qi Sight to find the man’s fatal point. He’d told Qiu Chou for one reason only—this moment.

Wang Jie knew Shen Wang would trade grievous injury to kill him, but Shen Wang would never choose mutual destruction just to take him down.

In the Fourth Nebula, Qi Sight was power that outclassed everything.

The Shen Wang slipped past the lash. By the time Shen Wang blocked Qiu Chou’s sword and turned to strike again, the ship had already vanished into the vast black.

Six times the speed of an ordinary Roaming-Star Realm cultivator wasn’t a joke.

Shen Wang’s rage shook the air. “Qiu Chou! You’re courting death!”

Qiu Chou sneered. He had no intention of trading blows. He turned and fled.

Shen Wang chased at once.

And then—two figures appeared without warning, barring his path. Their killing intent was so dense it felt physical.

“The Discipline Hall is ordered to arrest Shen Wang. Surrender. Resist, and you will be executed on the spot.”

Shen Wang froze.

The Discipline Hall had been waiting here all along.

Bastards.

They’d never planned to let him live.

He spun and ran, but it was useless. Two Discipline Hall experts cut him down.

There was no attempt to seize him. No arrest.

They killed him where he stood.

The crowd watched as Shen Wang shattered into pieces, blood raining down.

No one spoke.

Outside the planet, Qiu Chou looked back, his expression heavy.

Shen Wang was dead.

And it wasn’t justice. It was silence.

The Discipline Hall had struck only because Shen Wang could no longer catch Wang Jie. Shen Wang’s existence was a loose end—something that might implicate someone higher up.

So he’d been eliminated.

The two Discipline Hall experts lifted their gaze toward the stars, then flicked a glance at Qiu Chou.

A chill ran through him. Their killing intent pressed against his throat like a blade.

He fled without hesitation.

No one pursued. Qiu Chou wasn’t a fugitive—he was Roaming-Star Realm of Suo Xing Jian. The two experts withdrew their gaze and left.

From beginning to end, they didn’t exchange a single word with anyone else.

Deep beneath the planet, Du Xian watched the footage and smiled faintly. “Perfect timing.”

The Discipline Hall.

She shut off the screen and leaned back, exhaustion finally catching up. She took a slow sip of water.

“Wang Jie…”

Impressive.

What happened spread quickly to Black-White Heaven.

Zhi Ye received Zhi Xing Xue.

“Your nephew greets you, Aunt,” he said.

Zhi Xing Xue’s voice was calm. “Thank you for helping.”

Zhi Ye smiled. “We’re family. And that kid came through you—if I can help, I’ll help.”

“No matter what, without you, the Star Vault Exchange couldn’t have stopped a desperate man.” She dipped her head slightly. “I owe you a favor.”

She didn’t mention the ship’s cost. Compared to the ship, Zhi Ye’s stance was one reason Shen Wang never dared step into the exchange at all.

That wasn’t something money could measure.

“Aunt, you’re too formal.” Zhi Ye’s eyes held a hint of amusement. “But that kid surprised me. I thought he was doomed, yet he forced a way out.”

He paused. “He’s clever, and fortune follows him. Aunt is blessed.”

Elsewhere, Zhi Shu was still reeling. Wang Jie had been pinned at the door and still escaped.

Before, because they feared Zhi Ye, they hadn’t dared force Shen Wang into the Star Vault Exchange.

And now it had come to this.

At least the Discipline Hall had been decisive. Shen Wang couldn’t be allowed to talk.

Now came the hard part—how to explain it to the people above.

In the Steward Hall, Wu Yun sat down heavily, her face pale. Things had spiraled beyond her control.

Shen Wang’s case could not happen twice.

And she couldn’t think of any clean way to deal with Wang Jie anymore.

What frightened her most was Zhi Upper Realm—whether someone there would be angered by all this.

If she’d known, she would have handled it differently. Recruit him. Buy him. Anything.

Who would have imagined a Ten Seals Lockforce cultivator could push matters to this extreme?

Black-White Heaven buzzed with argument and rumor.

Wang Jie didn’t know—or care—what they were saying. He had his own problem.

Qiu Chou.

He chose the meeting place on a planet with one hundred fifty times gravity. The universe was full of worlds like that—different gravity wells, different levels of strain. The strongest he’d been around so far was under two hundred times gravity; above that, there were countless more.

But this kind of gravity belonged to the planet itself. It didn’t merge into Starforce. If it did, the world became an anomalous planet.

Wang Jie chose this place as insurance. He didn’t truly know Qiu Chou. The man had helped him for profit.

The ship landed.

Wang Jie waited.

Five days later, the ship’s alarm sounded. Someone had arrived.

Qiu Chou stepped onto the surface—ordinary in appearance, young enough to be deceptive. Wang Jie couldn’t tell how old he truly was. Zhi Ye was Star-Refining Realm and looked young as well.

Maybe Qiu Chou’s most distinctive trait really was his name.

Wang Jie walked out to meet him.

Qiu Chou glanced over Wang Jie’s ship, envy slipping into his tone. “This ship’s expensive.”

Wang Jie said, “It’s fine.”

“Give it to me.”

Wang Jie’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not its master. Its master is Zhi Ye.”

Qiu Chou looked back at him with a faint smile. “A powerhouse of the Zhi family won’t care about a ship from Suo Xing Jian.”

Wang Jie shrugged and stepped aside. “Then take it. See if he comes looking for you.”

Qiu Chou stared at the ship a moment longer, then shook his head. “Forget it. Shen Wang didn’t even dare step into the Star Vault Exchange. Who am I to provoke the Zhi family?”

He turned that half-smile back on Wang Jie. “If you were smart, you’d hand it over. From then on, in Suo Xing Jian, you’d have nothing to fear.”

Wang Jie only smiled and made a small, courteous gesture—an invitation.

Qiu Chou snorted and dropped the subject. “I helped you. You won’t deny what you owe me.”

“Of course not.” Wang Jie’s voice stayed even. “I know what you want—Zhong Yi’s sword.”

He met Qiu Chou’s gaze without blinking. “And in Suo Xing Jian—no. In the Fourth Nebula, only I can clear all fifteen layers.”

“You can only place your hope on me.”

Qiu Chou’s eyes sharpened. “Why should I trust you?”

“In the fifteen layers, the first six can only be entered by Ten Seals. I am Ten Seals, and I did break through the first six.” Wang Jie’s tone didn’t change. “Zong Cheng Ping already told you.”

“How do you prove it?”

Wang Jie tossed him a jade stone.

Qiu Chou caught it and looked down. His eyes brightened. “Cai He Force?”

“If you understand Zhong Yi, you should know it belongs to her, not Black-White Heaven.”

Wang Jie continued, laying it out cleanly. “The third layer requires fifteen thousand combat power. The fourth is thirty thousand. The fifth is fifty thousand. The sixth…”

He paused, meeting Qiu Chou’s deep eyes. “Eighty thousand.”

Shock flickered across Qiu Chou’s face, but it didn’t last. He’d lost before. If the threshold wasn’t monstrous, he wouldn’t have fallen.

In truth, he couldn’t even pass the fourth layer.

“How many layers did you clear?” Qiu Chou asked.

“Eight.”

Qiu Chou exhaled slowly. “Ten Seals, eight layers. I believe you can get her sword.”

His voice dipped colder. “But how do I know you’ll give it to me?”

Wang Jie spread his hands. “I can’t make you believe.”

Then he added, softly and truthfully, “But you don’t have another choice.”

Qiu Chou’s expression cooled.

Wang Jie held his gaze without flinching.

After a long moment, Qiu Chou’s brow eased slightly. “I know you have backing. I know you have methods.”

His eyes narrowed. “But I’m not Shen Wang. If I want you dead, hiding in the Star Vault Exchange won’t save you.”

“I don’t understand the Star Vault Vista, but I know this—so long as Black-White Heaven isn’t hunting me, outsiders can’t touch me.”

“Do you understand?”

Wang Jie nodded. “I do. I’ll bring Zhong Yi’s sword to you.”

Qiu Chou turned to go.

“Wait.”

He glanced back.

Wang Jie nodded at the jade in his hand.

Qiu Chou’s voice turned hard. “I saved your life, and you still want to bargain for this?”

Wang Jie gave a small, weary smile. “I promised to turn it in. I caused a mess in Suo Xing Jian—having others clean up everything behind me doesn’t sit right.”

Qiu Chou looked down at the jade, clearly unwilling to let it go.

Wang Jie tried again. “Then trade me. You seized a batch of materials earlier, didn’t you? Give me that batch. I can explain it to the sect.”

Qiu Chou’s tone sank. “I nearly died for that batch.”

“This Cai He Force can strengthen a Lockforce cultivator, but only within Ten Seals. It means nothing to you personally. To the sect, it means everything.”

“Not my problem.”

Wang Jie let out a quiet sigh. “Then this. Give me that batch, and I’ll give you something else.”

Something you’ll want.

“Also from the fifteen layers.”

Qiu Chou’s eyes flashed. “What?”