Chapter 223

Chapter 223: His End Is Near

The man sucked in a sharp breath, eyes widening as he stared at Wang Jie with genuine awe. “Brother… that’s incredible. You came back from the Han Hai Battlefield so quickly and even made Battle Trooper. Respect.”

Wang Jie exchanged a few polite words with him. Then the middle-aged guard called him over—the connection was ready.

Behind him, the man watched Wang Jie’s back with complicated thoughts.

He remembered how Wang Jie had once claimed his combat power matched Roaming-Star Realm. Now it seemed true.

To survive Han Hai, advance, and return so quickly—Wang Jie had to have someone behind him. Especially since the man himself had tried to contact the sect first, yet Wang Jie’s connection went through before his. That could only mean Wang Jie’s contact had immense authority.

A figure worth remembering.

Even if he was “only” a lockforce cultivator.

Too bad. If they’d recruited him back then, it would’ve been a great gain.

Now it was too late.

On the other side, Wang Jie heard Zhi Xing Xue’s voice.

“You went to the Han Hai Battlefield?”

“Yes,” Wang Jie answered. “I was lucky. I reached Battle Trooper and escaped.”

“Good that you escaped.” Her tone eased. “That battlefield takes luck as much as strength.”

“Senior,” Wang Jie said, “junior overheard something. They say the more Third Nebula’s Xuan Gate invests in the battlefield, the more it means they intend to do something in Third Nebula—like unifying it.”

The air seemed to tighten.

“Who told you that?” Zhi Xing Xue demanded.

“A disciple of Shuang Hua Sect, Xia Xiao Nian,” Wang Jie replied. “He’s a true heir of the sect, and also a guest elder disciple of Master Luan.”

“Understood.” Zhi Xing Xue’s voice turned sharp and decisive. “I’ll investigate immediately. If it’s true, you will have made a great contribution.”

The connection ended.

Wang Jie exhaled slowly and left.

If the rumor was real, Silver Radiance Empire would be in danger too.

He could only hope it wasn’t.

In Black-White Heaven, Zhi Upper Realm Zhi Xing Xue summoned Little Lan the moment the call ended.

“Activate our people in Third Nebula,” she ordered. “Investigate Xuan Gate’s movements—especially Third Star Chain Tech-Mech City and Fifth Star Chain Shield Mountain Peak.”

Little Lan bowed. “Yes, Master.”

Back at the Edict Platform, missions flooded the boards.

The Ying Yang Battlefield was vast. Battle Troopers couldn’t be directly deployed and were difficult to coordinate. Missions were the simplest way to drive them—tempting them with rewards while ensuring they didn’t grow idle.

That was Wang Jie’s clear impression of the Edict Platform.

Now he could choose his own missions.

Before long, he accepted a timed Battle Trooper mission: sabotage enemy battlefield transport.

It was one of the most common mission types.

Each faction continuously transported supplies and personnel. Where there was transport, there was sabotage.

Transporting disciples from the sect to the Ying Yang Battlefield wasn’t something Battle Troopers could touch—that was guarded by Hundred-Star Realm. But transport from the Command Hub to the sub-battlefields under Ying Yang, including the delivery of formation materials to specific coordinates, was another matter entirely.

That work fell to Battle Troopers.

And this mission could be accepted by many.

Wang Jie had no idea how many people took it. He only knew that once the mission activated, it meant the Edict Platform judged the number of participants sufficient. If not enough accepted, the mission wouldn’t proceed—it would be canceled.

The moment Wang Jie accepted, he was required to reach a specified point and wait for instructions.

And of course, that also made the coordinates vulnerable to enemy infiltration.

Wang Jie boarded a ship and departed, staring at the deep starry sky.

It was lonely.

He thought of Old Two and the others.

Once he truly stood firm in Black-White Heaven, he would bring them here.

Several days later, Zhi Ye visited Zhi Xing Xue.

“Aunt,” he asked bluntly, “why did you activate the mole hidden in Third Nebula?”

“Do I lack the authority?” Zhi Xing Xue replied coolly.

“Of course you have it,” Zhi Ye said. “But activating them too abruptly risks exposure.

“Aunt should understand—moles planted by the sect, especially those aunt personally activates, are rarely low-ranking. Planting them costs a great deal.”

Zhi Xing Xue told him what Wang Jie had reported.

Zhi Ye’s expression turned grim. “It’s possible.

“The trick isn’t sophisticated, but it’s effective. On Ying Yang’s side, Wu Yuan already went to Han Hai. Third Nebula has indeed sent significant reinforcements.”

He bowed slightly. “Aunt did the right thing. Thank you.”

As he left, he added, “If the investigation confirms it, Wang Jie will have made another great contribution. Aunt has a good eye.”

Zhi Xing Xue smiled.

Then her gaze grew complicated.

Wang Jie was no longer the same person he had been.

“The battlefield really tempers people,” Zhi Ye said as he departed. “It may be time for us to reinforce as well.”

On the Ying Yang Battlefield, Wang Jie reached his designated waiting point ten days later and remained still.

Two more days passed.

A mission message arrived. The coordinates it gave were not far—at most two hours away.

Wang Jie’s ship moved again.

A massive transport ship loomed ahead, steadily approaching through the starry void.

Wang Jie watched it through his display, impressed despite himself. The ship was enormous.

By the mission’s description, it likely carried warship repair equipment and large quantities of starstones.

According to the timing marked by the mission, he would strike in ten breaths.

At this transport ship’s speed, ten breaths would bring it perfectly into the range designed for Roaming-Star Battle Troopers.

Three breaths later, a dark-yellow starforce lit the stars and surged toward the transport ship.

Someone had moved first—another mission participant.

The mission’s instructions were detailed to an eerie degree: positions, timing, angles of attack. The moment this operation activated, it meant Black-White Heaven’s intelligence was confident in the plan.

Wang Jie’s presence here meant the mission was already close to completion.

Two breaths later, an attack erupted from another direction.

Inside the transport ship, defenders struck back—Roaming-Star Realm cultivators dedicated to protecting the vessel. A massive light membrane flared around the ship, while beams of light lanced outward like spears.

In the next few breaths, more attackers struck in sequence.

Then the tenth breath arrived.

Wang Jie moved.

His grip tightened on the sword hilt. Qi-Qi Convergence surged through his arm, and he slashed.

Star-Gazing Sword Form.

A dazzling cascade of sword moves rained down toward the transport ship.

Several Roaming-Star Realm defenders each held a direction. As Wang Jie’s sword moves descended, someone roared, “Careful!”

Too late.

Each strike was heavy enough that an ordinary Roaming-Star Realm cultivator would struggle to resist. One sword move after another punched through the light membrane and carved into the transport ship, triggering a chain reaction.

The other attackers’ blows followed through the breaches.

Explosions tore across the ship’s hull from multiple directions.

Screams echoed as cultivators spilled into space. Smaller ships shook as they fled—some blasted apart mid-flight, some barely escaping.

Roaming-Star Realm defenders surged toward the attackers.

Two of them came straight for Wang Jie.

Wang Jie checked their numbers on the combat-power detector—120,000 to 130,000.

He could kill them.

But caution won.

He raised one finger.

Spiral Qi Force snapped through the void and struck both of them simultaneously.

They took it head-on and were driven back in unison.

Neither dared to close again. They could only watch as Wang Jie boarded his ship and withdrew.

“He’s strong,” one muttered.

“Not our match.”

“Just say we couldn’t find him.”

“Mission failed,” the other growled. “We’ll be forcibly assigned to Han Hai Battlefield.”

Wang Jie glanced back once as he left, calm.

The mission had been almost effortless.

And it revealed something terrifying.

Black-White Heaven’s intelligence on enemy routes and timing was precise to a frightening degree—down to the breath.

Even the attack sequence had been perfect.

If Black-White Heaven could do this, then other major forces could as well.

It meant every side had infiltrated every other side like a sieve.

The enemy didn’t even know who had struck them.

Wang Jie turned his gaze forward.

Time to return and turn in the mission.

At the same time, on the Han Hai Battlefield, a woman stood before Su Su and bowed. “Great Senior Sister, we found the one who saved Li Tong He. His name is Wang Jie. He is a lockforce cultivator.”

Su Su’s eyes widened. “A lockforce cultivator? How is that possible?”

She remembered the scene vividly. Her attention had been on Li Tong He and experts like Yue Bai, but she shouldn’t have been blind to a lockforce cultivator passing so close.

“The intelligence has been compiled,” the woman said. “Great Senior Sister can review it.”

Su Su read.

The more she read, the deeper her surprise grew—and the sharper her interest became.

“Interesting,” she murmured. “Rebellion within Black-White Heaven’s locking line space, forcing the elder council… opposing Zhi Qing’s line… disguising himself to seize the Star-Devourer…

“None of this looks like what a mere Star-Breaking Realm lockforce cultivator should be capable of.”

She looked up, a faint smile forming. “To accomplish all this… calling him a prodigy wouldn’t be an exaggeration.”

Then the smile vanished.

Her expression turned cold. Murderous intent gathered in her eyes.

“But.”

She spoke each word like ice. “If he dared to play me, then his life has reached its end.”

“Pass the order.”

The Singing Phoenix Hall disciples stood straighter, solemn.

“Use every method you have,” Su Su commanded. “Lure and kill Wang Jie. I will make him regret provoking me.”

“Yes, Great Senior Sister.”

Wang Jie returned to the Command Hub and turned in the mission at the Edict Platform.

His identity token gained one drop of blood.

He was now a one-blood Battle Trooper.

He started scanning missions again. Operations like sabotage were efficient and profitable—if you survived.

Of course, they could also go wrong. Many were lured into traps and killed.

What Wang Jie relied on, above all, was the Star Compass.

He found another mission and was about to leave when Li Tong He summoned him.

Wang Jie bowed. “Greetings, Elder.”

Li Tong He’s expression was ugly. “Your application to join the Black-White Heaven Club was rejected.”

Wang Jie wasn’t surprised. “Reason?”

Li Tong He answered with two words. “Lockforce.”

Just that.

And it left Wang Jie with a dull, suffocating frustration.

He could accept being targeted. He could accept being excluded because of internal politics within Zhi Upper Realm.

But being rejected for lockforce alone—

He couldn’t swallow it.

He was a lockforce cultivator, yes. But he hadn’t reached his limit, and yet the world had already decided what he could and couldn’t become.

It had always been like this. Even when trying to join teams, they’d rather take a true starforce Star-Breaking Realm cultivator than a lockforce cultivator with Roaming-Star Realm combat power.

All the way here, he’d been looked down on more times than he could count.

“There’s another thing,” Li Tong He said, hesitating.

Wang Jie forced a smile. “Elder, speak. Disciple can accept it.”

Li Tong He looked at him with sympathy. “If you don’t reach Roaming-Star Battle General, you are not allowed to leave the Ying Yang Battlefield.”

Wang Jie’s heart sank.

He’d prepared himself for difficulty.

He hadn’t expected cruelty.

Roaming-Star Battle General wasn’t just killing dozens of Roaming-Star Realm cultivators. The kills had to match the blood level on his identity token. If he became a three-blood Battle Guard, then only killing a three-blood Battle Guard—or someone higher—would add another drop.

Killing weaker opponents wouldn’t count.

This wasn’t just strength.

It was luck.

Zhi Nan Xing would have left long ago if luck alone were enough. He wouldn’t have needed to go to Han Hai.

On the Star-Cloud Battlefield, luck mattered as much as ability.

And missions didn’t always add a drop of blood either. The farther you climbed, the more missions required stacked conditions—no easier than killing the right enemies.