Chapter 160
Chapter 160: Survival
A faint sound echoed through the air as the spaceship swayed, its lights flickering in urgent bursts of red. A warning alarm blared.
Wu Yun was taken aback. She had already covered the area with Black Snow Star Force, trying her best not to disturb the spaceship. After all, her actions were meant to be secret. If anything were to leak, Elder Court would never forgive her.
But to her shock, Wang Jie unleashed a force powerful enough to shake the Black Snow Star Force itself.
What kind of power is this?
Wang Jie clenched his fist, his energy merging with the atmosphere, fully unleashing his combat power. Invisible waves of qi surged through his body, setting the air alight as he focused his gaze on Wu Yun, sensing her movements. He raised his hand, the sword gleaming as he struck—Star Gazing Sword Style.
Countless sword shadows, infused with terrifying power, tore through the Black Snow Star Force and surged toward Wu Yun.
Wu Yun gasped in alarm, her first instinct being to dodge.
The sword shadows struck the ground, piercing the spaceship. The ship shook violently.
Seizing the opportunity, Wang Jie sent a voice transmission to Lie Qiu: “Go to Sword Mastery Heaven. If she makes a move on me, she’ll kill you to silence you. Hurry, go to Sword Mastery Heaven.”
Lie Qiu, eyes fixed on the encroaching black snow, suppressed the chilling air as he struggled to keep the spaceship on course, heading toward Sword Mastery Heaven.
Wang Jie also wished to return to his own ship, but that was impossible now. Wu Yun was too strong, and her Black Snow Star Force was something he could not break. His earlier move was only a surprise attack.
As Wu Yun unleashed an even stronger wave of Black Snow Star Force, Wang Jie’s sword shadows were frozen one by one, melting away into the snow.
It was impossible to break through.
Wu Yun, unfazed by the ship’s tremors, believed Wang Jie to be dead.
But simply killing him would be too easy.
“Kid, as long as you betray Xing Xue and submit to Lord Zhi Qing, I can spare your life.” Her reason for personally coming here wasn’t just to kill him. Killing him would be simple. What she wanted was to use him to make Xing Xue lose face. Xing Xue had gone to great lengths to help him control the Lock Path interval. If he betrayed them, she would be able to strip Xing Xue of all credibility in Black White Heaven. Lord Zhi Qing would crush them without mercy.
That was her true goal here.
Wang Jie’s gaze flickered: “Is that true?”
Wu Yun’s tone was cold: “Otherwise, you’d already be dead.”
The surrounding black snow thinned a little.
Wang Jie exhaled. “What can you offer me?”
Wu Yun chuckled. “What could be more valuable than your life? Are you stalling for time? You have three breaths. Three breaths—if you don’t answer by then, you die.”
Wang Jie sighed. These people saw through his intentions instantly.
“One.”
He gripped his sword, and with the other hand, began to channel the Lock Force within his blood and flesh.
After reaching the Star Breaking Realm, the Lock Force fused with his blood and flesh, causing his body to undergo a transformation. That was why his power surged.
“Two.”
The Lock Force stirred around his body, a second wave of boiling energy forming on the surface. He suppressed it with the Toad Breath technique to keep it from spilling out.
“Three.”
Wang Jie’s eyes narrowed, and he swung his sword, unleashing the Star Gazing Sword Style. Wu Yun’s expression turned frosty. “You’re courting death.” With a flick of her hand, the Black Snow Star Force merged completely, forming a black beam of light that engulfed the world. The sword shadows were erased, only to immediately regenerate, continuing to clash against the freezing darkness.
At the same time, Wu Yun pointed, executing the Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger.
A single finger emerged from the darkness, constantly advancing, pressing toward Wu Yun. She glanced upward, her eyes narrowing as the space around her rippled and the spaceship swayed, as though another world were descending.
“Tidal Earth.”
The Black Snow Star Force spread like ocean waves, growing stronger with each layer, as it radiated outward from her. The Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger was shattered, along with the dark sword shadows. The darkness fell and melded into the waves, spreading toward Wang Jie.
Wang Jie took a step back. No, he couldn’t retreat. The more he retreated, the stronger the tidal force became.
He decided not to back down but instead to advance. He stepped directly into the tidal waves, holding firm despite Wu Yun’s surprise gaze. He launched a fist downward, attempting to suppress the tidal force.
Wu Yun stared at Wang Jie. “You’re not a Ten Seal. You’re a Star Breaking Realm cultivator.”
Wang Jie lifted his head, and multiple swords appeared around him. Sword Form Technique: Single Line to Heaven. Each sword was infused with Lock Force and qi, forming a straight line aimed directly at Wu Yun.
Wu Yun squinted. “I didn’t expect a Star Breaking Realm to make use of the Darkstar Umbrella.” With that, a large umbrella materialized before her, slowly spinning. The sword form’s Single Line to Heaven struck the umbrella but could not shake it. This umbrella was a Three Tribulations Star Artifact.
Wu Yun grabbed the umbrella handle and, passing through the tidal force, pressed it down toward Wang Jie.
Wang Jie stepped back, and the swords swerved around him, slicing toward Wu Yun from the side. Wu Yun was startled. How was he controlling the swords? She had swept with Star Force, and the Lock Force should have been wiped out, so why were the swords still under his command?
But it didn’t matter now.
The umbrella danced in the air, performing the Thousand Snow Umbrella Dance, and all of Wang Jie’s swords were shattered.
Wang Jie unleashed another Star Gazing Sword Style, but the umbrella dispersed the attack, scattering it to the winds. The tidal force swept through the battlefield, striking him forcefully, sending him crashing into the ship’s hull, smashing through multiple doors. He coughed up blood and fell.
Wu Yun advanced step by step, the Black Snow Star Force swirling beneath her, the tidal force spreading like a dark beast.
Lie Qiu stared at the scene from the control room, horrified by the gap in strength. The Black White Heaven deacons were far stronger than ordinary Wandering Star Realm cultivators, let alone Lock Force practitioners.
Wang Jie had swept through the Lock Path interval with the power of Ten Seals. Now, as a Star Breaking Realm cultivator, he was stronger than ever, yet still helpless before Wu Yun.
If he died, Lie Qiu would undoubtedly be silenced.
What should I do?
Sword Mastery Heaven was just ahead. He had pushed the spaceship to its maximum speed, but would they make it in time? What could they do at Sword Mastery Heaven?
Wang Jie’s imminent death was a shadow cast over both of them.
Wu Yun’s icy gaze lingered on Wang Jie. “I’ll give you one last chance. Join us. Agree or refuse?”
Wang Jie raised his head, coughing up blood again, looking weak. “I don’t want to live like a dog.”
Wu Yun laughed coldly. “Besides being a dog, what else can you be? You are a dog now, a dog of Xing Xue. Later, you might even be my dog. If you want to live, you must be a dog.”
Wang Jie fixed his gaze on her. “But even dogs need a master. You aren’t worthy.”
Wu Yun’s expression turned icy as snowflakes swirled through the air. She opened her umbrella and continued walking toward Wang Jie, her approach growing colder by the second, darkness encroaching: “Do you truly wish to die?”
Wang Jie moved his fingers, eyes fixed on her. His qi gathered on her umbrella, her arms, and her feet, suggesting that her attacks were aided by this umbrella. Her footwork was charged with powerful qi, indicating speed.
At this range, striking might not even land.
“Do you know Zhong Yi’s sword?”
Wu Yun’s gaze flickered. “What are you trying to say?”
Wang Jie’s eyes narrowed. “I can get it.”
Wu Yun was startled. “You can get Zhong Yi’s sword? Where?”
“On the tenth level.”
“How do you break through?”
“Star Breaking Realm, with 150,000 battle power.”
Wu Yun furrowed her brow. Star Breaking Realm, requiring 150,000 battle power—unbelievable. No wonder no one had broken through in Black White Heaven for countless years. Even the eighth and ninth levels were nearly impossible.
Zhong Yi’s strength was something everyone in Black White Heaven had wanted to know.
A Lock Force practitioner had left behind fifteen levels, preventing future generations from breaking through. It was truly inconceivable.
Black White Heaven commanded the Fourth Star Cloud, with countless practitioners. There had always been extraordinary talents, and once, they even selected many geniuses to specifically train in Lock Force, sacrificing many talents just to break through the fifteenth level, only to fail.
Black White Heaven had invested vast resources over countless years into the fifteenth level.
If she could acquire Zhong Yi’s sword, it might please Zhi Qing and help her mitigate her past mistakes.
“You can really get it?”
“Of course. Who else could get it besides me?”
Wu Yun’s eyes narrowed as she stared deeply at him. “Help me get that sword. As long as you betray Xing Xue, I can guarantee you will live like a person, not a dog.”
Wang Jie frowned, his gaze shifting to the approaching Sword Mastery Heaven. “Once I betray, I will have no place left.”
“You don’t think a sword can give you freedom, do you?”
Wang Jie’s voice was heavy. “That is a Five Tribulations Star Artifact.”
Wu Yun’s eyes narrowed, and suddenly, the black snow in the air halted, only to shoot through the spaceship in the opposite direction. In an instant, the ship was pierced, exploding in every direction.
Wang Jie’s face changed.
Wu Yun sneered. “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice your stalling? I don’t know what you’re trying to achieve by stalling, but you only have one life. If you don’t betray me, watch yourself die.”
With that, she stepped into the starry void. Wang Jie, unable to react in time, realized her speed was astounding.
The ship shook violently, explosions tearing it apart.
Wu Yun stood in the void, watching, enjoying the sight of Wang Jie’s desperation.
Wang Jie struggled to rise, gritting his teeth as sparks flew. The universe loomed large, but he couldn’t stand firm. He had no choice but to swallow a Breath-Holding Pill.
In the distance, Lie Qiu shouted, pleading with Wu Yun to spare her.
Wu Yun ignored it. “They’re just ants, unworthy of pity.”
The spaceship continued to burn, explosions ringing through the air.
Lie Qiu looked toward Wang Jie in despair. “Think of something!”
Wang Jie furrowed his brow. Sword Mastery Heaven was so close, yet he couldn’t reach Qiu Chou. He only hoped to see him.
The ship was falling apart.
Destruction was imminent.
Wang Jie was exposed to the void, and Lie Qiu, too, was on the brink of collapse. Only the two of them were still alive on the ship.
Wu Yun’s cold eyes watched them, amusement flickering in her gaze, as she enjoyed the moment.
Suddenly, from the distance, a sword qi surged forward.
Wu Yun turned, swinging her umbrella to deflect the sword qi.
Wang Jie breathed a sigh of relief. Qiu Chou had arrived.
In the distance, Qiu Chou moved through the cosmos, quickly closing in. One hand held a sword, eyes locked on Wu Yun. A Wandering Star Realm cultivator? A Star Force practitioner?
“Qiu Chou, kill her! She’s going to kill me!” Wang Jie shouted.
Qiu Chou glanced at Wang Jie, then at Wu Yun. “You’re a Star Force practitioner? Why are you in the Lock Path interval?”
Wu Yun’s face darkened. “Get lost. It’s none of your business.”
“She’s Wu Yun, a deacon of the Deacon Hall,” Wang Jie shouted again.
Wu Yun’s expression darkened further.
Qiu Chou’s expression changed dramatically. He stared at Wang Jie with fury. This fool was going to get him killed.
If he didn’t know who she was, he could just back off. But now that he knew, Wu Yun would kill him to keep him quiet.
Not long ago, the Elder Court had promised that anyone meddling in the Lock Path interval would not be spared.
Wu Yun couldn’t afford to leave any evidence behind.
“I don’t know who you are, but I’ll leave now,” Qiu Chou said, preparing to flee.
Wang Jie shouted, “I’ve already sent word outside saying Qiu Chou is a witness. Wu Yun, your evil deeds will be exposed throughout Black White Heaven.”
Qiu Chou shouted in anger, “Wang Jie, stop making things up.”
Wang Jie turned to him. “Let’s join forces and kill this traitor who defied the sect rules.”