Chapter 209
Chapter 209: Ying Yang Battlefield
Seeing Wang Jie’s wary gaze, the woman flashed a radiant smile: “Insight Pill, yours for just one hundred million starstones.”
Wang Jie scoffed coldly: “You’re even more ruthless than Du Xian. Everyone knows the Insight Pill is just leftover leaves from the legendary Enlightenment Tea. It doesn’t need much skill to refine—only the rare ingredients matter. Normally, it sells for fifty million starstones at most. Yet you dare charge double?”
“The price follows regional market fluctuations,” she calmly replied. “Aside from us, feel free to inquire elsewhere if you can find anyone else selling it.”
Wang Jie’s eyes flickered. “Perhaps you should talk it over with Du Xian first. She and I are quite close.”
The woman smiled gracefully: “Exactly why I offered one hundred million. Others would have charged even more.”
Wang Jie snorted softly, [As if I’d believe you.] Now he understood how Star Dome Visage had risen to prominence. They overcharged for items like this, then compensated customers in other subtle ways.
Though Du Xian had tricked him several times, he still thought well of her. Such was true skill.
“Fine, I’ll buy it,” Wang Jie said curtly.
“My thanks, valued customer.”
[A hundred million starstones, spent so casually. Being willing to overpay proves my generosity.] Wang Jie could only console himself with this thought.
He purchased many other items as well, buying pills in bulk. In total, he spent one billion six hundred and sixty-two million starstones, deducted directly from his Star Merge card.
Next, his spaceship’s destination—Ping Xiao.
Ping Xiao served as a transit point for cultivators heading into the Star Cloud battlefield. Previously, Wang Jie had instructed Lock Force cultivators to bypass Ping Xiao entirely, directly deploying them to various battlefields. He’d done this deliberately to avoid sect control, granting a favor to Zhi Xing Xue.
But this time was different.
He and a group of cultivators had been forcibly conscripted. They had to pass through Ping Xiao for inspection.
Located beside Death Island and Nebula Flow, Ping Xiao was close to both Great Star Mountain and Lock Path Interval. Wang Jie piloted his spaceship to Nebula Flow, swiftly traveling along its current straight to Ping Xiao, which was the fastest route.
Ping Xiao was merely a small landmass floating amidst the stars. One side connected to Nebula Flow, constantly receiving Star Force cultivators. Lock Force cultivators, however, couldn’t travel upstream and had to use ships.
When Wang Jie arrived at Ping Xiao, he unexpectedly saw someone familiar—Little Blue.
“Senior, why are you here?” Wang Jie asked, startled.
Little Blue looked at him with a complicated expression. “My master instructed me to deliver something to you.” Saying this, she handed him a flower-shaped brooch.
Wang Jie looked confused.
“This is a gift from Flower Country. Whoever possesses this brooch can request Flower Country’s help once. Usually, this means treatment for serious injuries. Flower Country is a second-ranked Star Cloud power, famed for its remarkable healing techniques. Countless people have fought desperately just to obtain one of these brooches. Though it’s not as valuable as a Zen Token, it’s still exceptionally rare.”
“Master hopes you won’t perish on the battlefield.”
Wang Jie was deeply moved: “Please thank the Great Elder on my behalf. I’ll do my best to return alive.”
Little Blue sighed: “The Star Cloud battlefield differs from others. Strength matters, but luck counts even more. Wang Jie, your luck has always been extraordinary. We’ll wait for the day you come back.”
“Alright,” Wang Jie replied softly.
Little Blue left.
Wang Jie gazed ahead. Few people were present—barely over ten thousand.
Such a tiny number thrown into the battlefield wouldn’t even make a splash. Most were merely ten-seal cultivators, with Star Breaking Realm cultivators rare and Full Star Realm cultivators nearly nonexistent.
He found a quiet corner to wait.
Before long, a tall man approached. “Brother, which battlefield were you assigned to? I’m Liu Chang, heading to the Silver Sand battlefield.”
“Ying Yang battlefield,” Wang Jie replied.
Liu Chang seemed surprised: “Ying Yang battlefield? Strange. Weren’t cultivators assigned there in the last batch? How did you end up here?”
Wang Jie shrugged. “I don’t know either. Do you know much about these battlefields? Mind telling me?”
Liu Chang replied enthusiastically: “I wouldn’t say I’m knowledgeable. We’re all here because we couldn’t advance within the sect, so we decided to test our luck on the battlefield. Many have already agreed to ally together. Whoever succeeds will help the others rise—a well-known tactic.”
“There are three main battlefields. I’m going to Silver Sand battlefield, the third main battlefield. Our enemies there are remnants from the Fourth Star Cloud. The sect didn’t completely eliminate them, so occasionally these survivors pop up, along with some smaller groups who once rivaled our sect.”
“Your Ying Yang battlefield is the second main battlefield. Your enemies will be the Second Star Cloud and the Third Nebula. It’s basically chaotic combat over territory—the more regions you seize, the more star force you obtain. Naturally, more territory means more planets and more powerful cultivators. This includes those Strange Planets as well.”
Wang Jie nodded slowly.
“The most terrifying is the First Main battlefield. I don’t even know who the enemy there is. Anyway, we’re not qualified to be assigned there. I hear everyone sent to the First Main battlefield is forcibly drafted; hardly anyone volunteers…”
Liu Chang shared much more information.
Only now did Wang Jie understand that many disciples in Black White Heaven who struggled to advance would form connections with the Deacon Hall, using those ties to enter the same battlefield. This allowed them to band together, accomplish merits, and secure resources.
Volunteering for the battlefield was better than being forcibly conscripted.
Not only Lock Force cultivators, even Star Force cultivators eventually had to enter the battlefield after a certain period. They all prepared alliances beforehand to ensure survival and greater rewards.
“In battlefields, numbers are strength. The only exception is Lock Force cultivators, who are mere cannon fodder. The missions we get are completely different from theirs.”
“Oh, I haven’t asked your name yet, brother—”
“I cultivate Lock Force,” Wang Jie interrupted.
Liu Chang froze, immediately turning away. As he walked off, he muttered irritably: “Wasted my time. If I’d known he was some Lock Force wretch, why bother speaking so much? Probably won’t survive his first minute on the battlefield.”
Wang Jie observed the area. Everywhere, people were gathering allies.
Even Liu Chang was recruiting others. More people meant greatTwo Chances on the battlefield. Wang Jie had clearly stated he was assigned to Ying Yang battlefield, yet Liu Chang had still attempted to befriend him. The reason was simple—he believed Wang Jie was lying, because many had done the same before.
Alliances had pros and cons. Some cultivators were confident enough to go alone.
In this batch, not a single cultivator was assigned to Ying Yang battlefield, so Liu Chang naturally assumed Wang Jie lied. But if one intended to lie, no one would claim to cultivate Lock Force.
Wang Jie waited quietly.
Soon, this batch of cultivators departed. Ping Xiao became nearly deserted, leaving only him and a few supervising deacons.
The deacons looked at Wang Jie in confusion, surprised anyone remained behind. One immediately approached and questioned him. Upon learning Wang Jie’s name, his expression changed. He quickly returned and whispered to the other deacons.
Wang Jie knew they must have heard of him. Black White Heaven had long spread news of his deeds, especially involving Wu Yun. The Deacon Hall members surely knew. He hoped they’d leave him alone. Ordinary deacons posed no threat—backed by Shu Rang and Zhi Xing Xue, he’d only hesitate if truly outmatched.
The deacons quietly discussed him for a moment, then made no further trouble.
Several days later, a huge spaceship approached from afar.
As it docked at Ping Xiao, numerous Lock Force cultivators emerged, all originating from Lock Path Interval.
Apart from those few deacons, Wang Jie was the most noticeable figure in Ping Xiao.
A few lock force cultivators instantly recognized Wang Jie, but none dared greet him. They were merely at the ten-seal level, unworthy of approaching someone like Wang Jie, and could only stand far off in silence.
The hundred thousand lock force cultivators had all gathered in Ping Xiao. At a glance, it actually didn’t seem like that many.
The deacons treated these lock force cultivators entirely differently from the star force practitioners they’d addressed earlier. Those cultivating star force, provided they possessed enough luck and talent, might one day enter esteemed places such as the Deacon Hall or Discipline Hall. But for lock force cultivators, such a path was nearly impossible.
In the eyes of these deacons, out of the hundred thousand lock force cultivators before them, fewer than ten might return alive.
All were nothing more than fodder.
Yet the hundred thousand lock force cultivators stood silently in Ping Xiao, filled with anxiety and dread for what lay ahead, until finally a spaceship arrived.
It was a Star Cloud-class ship, though one could hardly tell from its battered appearance. It was so worn and battle-damaged that even docked in the harbor, no one paid it much notice.
Seeing the ship arrive, Wang Jie quietly rose and, under the watchful gazes of many, silently moved into the crowd of the hundred thousand lock force cultivators. He did not wish to attract too much attention. He knew well from past experience that on battlefields, the more you stood out, the quicker you died.
Though the people around him found it strange, no one spoke up. Even the deacons remained silent.
Once the ship landed, a figure emerged.
The deacons immediately bowed respectfully, greeting her: “Greetings, Senior Sister Di.”
“Senior Sister,” echoed the others.
The woman nodded slightly, passing them by to stand before the lock force cultivators. She gazed across the gathered multitude and began without ceremony, “I am Di Zi, a deacon of the Deacon Hall and a Wandering Star War Guard from Ying Yang Battlefield. I’ve come to brief you on the battlefield.”
Without idle words, Di Zi started directly.
“The Ying Yang Battlefield lies at the border between the Fifth Star Chain and Sixth Star Chain of the Third Nebula, our enemies mainly come from the Third Nebula itself and the Second Star Cloud. It’s called the Ying Yang Battlefield because the contested area is named Ying Yang Domain.”
She continued clearly, “Ying Yang Domain is crucial to Black White Heaven. It’s positioned strategically near the Nebula Flow of the Sixth Star Chain. Capturing it would establish a critical stronghold, a bridgehead allowing Black White Heaven to attack the Second Star Cloud and the Third Nebula. Thus, we must take it.”
Next, Di Zi explained how battle merits would be assigned, then handed out identity tokens.
Before entering battle, each person would receive a round jade token for identification. Like storage rings, the jade token required blood to recognize its owner. Merits were tracked through these tokens. Every slain enemy’s identity token had to be taken back to the sect for calculation. If the enemy survived, their token remained unmarked. Only death would cause the token to crack. Such cracks differed from artificial ones, allowing the sect to easily distinguish genuine battle merits. Therefore, no one could fake their achievements.
The reward system for battle merits was both complicated and simple.
Killing an enemy of equal rank would condense a drop of blood within one’s own jade token. For instance, a cultivator at Star Breaking Realm killing another Star Breaking Realm enemy would condense one drop of blood from the fallen enemy’s token into their own. However, to condense a second drop, the slain enemy must already have at least one blood drop condensed. If the defeated enemy’s token lacked condensed blood, it would merely serve as recorded merit without increasing one’s own blood count.
Upon reaching ten drops of blood, one would advance to Battle Soldier and exchange their token. Battle Soldiers accumulating another ten drops would become Battle Guards. The ranks continued upward in the same manner:
Battle Soldier, Battle Guard, Battle Hero, Battle General, Battle Marquis, and finally—Battle Lord.