Chapter 225

Chapter 225: Who Dares Touch Me?

Wang Jie flicked the man a glance, didn’t bother answering, and went to browse missions.

The man snorted. “Senior Brother Wang is as arrogant as ever. Now that he’s latched onto Zhi Upper Realm, he doesn’t even put the Elder Council in his eyes.

“But I’ll give you this—Senior Brother has real skill. During the sect’s fight for the star-devourer, you disguised yourself as a woman, tricked someone out of the credential, and snatched the star-devourer by force. Congratulations, Senior Brother. To win, you even threw away your shame.”

The surrounding disciples stared, startled. There was something like that?

The star-devourer struggle had happened inside the sect. Word hadn’t really spread out here.

“If Wang Jie really disguised himself as a woman, that’s shameless.”

“You didn’t hear? On the Han Hai battlefield, the reason he could save Elder Li Tong He was because he disguised himself as a woman from the Singing Phoenix Hall.”

“Disgusting.”

“Still… he’s capable. I’m curious how he pulled it off. A disguise convincing enough to fool that Divine Maiden Su Su.”

“No wonder he reached Battle Guard so fast. Someone’s backing him.”

“Someone from Zhi Upper Realm?”

“That would explain it.”

“I’ve been saying it—how does a lockforce Star-Breaking Realm cultivator get that kind of ability…”

The murmurs swelled, and more than a few people made no effort to keep their voices down. They clearly didn’t fear Wang Jie.

Wang Jie’s gaze shifted to the man standing behind Di Zi. He started toward them.

He hadn’t planned to waste time on this, but sometimes a flea jumped onto your table. If you didn’t swat it, it would keep bouncing.

The man saw him coming and didn’t so much as flinch, the same cold smile fixed on his face.

Di Zi stepped forward to block Wang Jie. “Junior Brother Zhao has been cultivating in seclusion for years. He doesn’t understand social courtesy. Junior Brother Wang, there’s no need to take it personally.”

Wang Jie looked straight at her. “The first and second missions I took after arriving at the Ying Yang Battlefield—were they arranged by Senior Sister Di?”

Di Zi met his eyes, calm and unruffled.

Junior Brother Zhao sneered. “We call you Senior Brother Wang and you really think you’re one of us? You’re just a lockforce cultivator. Look around this Edict Platform—besides you, who else cultivates lockforce?”

“And you think you’re worthy of calling her Senior Sister Di?”

Wang Jie didn’t spare him a glance. His eyes stayed on Di Zi. “I’ll ask again. Did you arrange them?”

Di Zi’s expression remained placid. “Yes. So what?”

Wang Jie smiled. “Good. I’d hate to hit the wrong person.”

A sharp chill flashed through Di Zi’s eyes. “Junior Brother doesn’t need to worry about that. If you want someone, come for me.”

Wang Jie nodded, then stepped forward—Jia Eight Steps.

He slipped past Di Zi and appeared in front of Junior Brother Zhao before anyone could react.

Di Zi’s eyes widened. Not good—

A sharp crack snapped through the air.

Everyone froze, jaws dropping, as Junior Brother Zhao was slapped so hard he flew sideways.

No one had expected Wang Jie to dare strike on the Edict Platform—and in the most humiliating way possible, a slap across the face.

And this wasn’t some random disciple. Zhao Kun was Elder Ming’s disciple, and Di Zi’s junior brother in name and fact.

Di Zi stared as Zhao Kun skidded and rolled, fury surging up her throat. “Wang Jie! You’re out of line!”

Wang Jie turned and looked at her. “Wasn’t that what you all said? That I’m backed by Zhi Upper Realm.”

He lifted his chin slightly, voice cool. “So tell me—who dares touch me?”

Di Zi’s fist clenched. For an instant she looked ready to strike.

Wang Jie’s smile sharpened. “Senior Sister Di, don’t act on impulse. I’m afraid I might kill you.”

Di Zi’s fingers tightened, but the scene from a breath ago flashed in her mind. His movement had been too fast to track. Even if she attacked, she wouldn’t catch him.

And this was the Edict Platform. Fighting here was forbidden.

In the distance, Zhao Kun held his cheek, staring at the ground as if he’d been struck dumb. His face burned.

A slap.

Humiliation—pure humiliation.

He looked up at Wang Jie with hatred so thick it seemed to curdle. “You… you dared hit me?”

“You dared hit me?!”

“I’ll kill you!”

He lunged forward in a frenzy.

A massive pressure crashed down and pinned him flat to the ground.

Wang Jie’s eyes shifted toward the source. A terrifying aura—Roaming-Star Realm, but far beyond Yue Bai, Wu Jiang, and the others. Around five hundred thousand battle power, at least.

A woman walked in from the distance. Each step made the Edict Platform tremble.

Not just the platform—half the Command Hub seemed to quiver. Even the warships docked at the harbor swayed as if caught in an unseen tide.

It felt less like a person approaching and more like some colossal beast.

Vibration power.

Yue Jian—the person in charge of the Edict Platform, a nominal member of the Elder Council.

She was still listed as a disciple, but too old to become a Six-Path Roamer. Unless she broke through to Hundred-Star Realm and became an official elder, she’d remain a “disciple attached to the Elder Council” for the rest of her life.

The crowd bowed in unison. “Greetings, Senior Sister Yue.”

“Senior Sister Yue.”

Yue Jian’s gaze swept across them. “What happened?”

Di Zi stepped forward, respectful. “Senior Sister Yue, please release Junior Brother Zhao first. He isn’t at fault.”

Plenty of onlookers had the same thought: Wang Jie was finished.

Striking on the Edict Platform was a direct slap to Senior Sister Yue Jian’s authority.

Yue Jian withdrew her starforce.

Zhao Kun coughed, spat blood, then struggled upright and saluted. “Greetings, Senior Sister Yue.”

He pointed at Wang Jie like a man possessed. “Senior Sister Yue, it was Wang Jie! He attacked me on the Edict Platform—violating the rules! He’s lawless!”

Yue Jian’s gaze settled on Wang Jie. “You attacked?”

Wang Jie nodded. “I did.”

Yue Jian’s brows knit. “No fighting on the Edict Platform. You didn’t know?”

“I knew.”

“Good.” Yue Jian’s voice was flat. “Take one palm strike from me, and the matter ends.”

Void rippled around her. Starforce gathered slowly in her palm. “You have five breaths to prepare.”

Wang Jie didn’t waste time arguing. He raised Thunder Pattern in front of him and drew up the qi in his body—protective qi—until it wrapped his frame like a second skin.

Yue Jian struck.

Her palm shattered Thunder Pattern like brittle glass and slammed into Wang Jie’s chest.

Wang Jie spat blood and staggered back, step after step—seventeen steps before he finally stopped. He coughed again, another mouthful of blood staining his lips. His face had gone paper-white.

So fierce.

That strike carried vibration inside it. The destructive force had surpassed three hundred and fifty thousand. Without protective qi, he would’ve been seriously injured.

Yue Jian’s eyes flickered with surprise. “Seventeen steps.”

Lockforce. Star-Breaking Realm. And he’d taken her palm and stayed standing.

No wonder he’d become a Battle Guard so quickly.

Wang Jie bowed. “Thank you for showing mercy, Senior Sister.”

“I didn’t.” Yue Jian’s tone was indifferent. “You’re not bad. Among the sect’s disciples, anyone who can take one palm strike from me without falling can rank in the top thirty.”

The crowd went still.

Zhao Kun’s earlier slander had made people assume Wang Jie was all backing and trickery. Yue Jian’s words cut through it cleanly.

Top thirty among all sect disciples—excluding the Six-Path Roamers, that still included Black Roamers, White Roamers, and the older disciples stationed across battlefields under various titles.

And this man was supposed to be Star-Breaking Realm?

No wonder people were looking at Zhao Kun differently now. Maybe the story had been exaggerated—or outright fabricated.

Wang Jie himself hadn’t expected Yue Jian to rate him that highly. He bowed again, gratitude real this time.

Zhao Kun couldn’t swallow it. “Senior Sister Yue, that’s it? He attacked on the Edict Platform! He’s challenging the Command Hub’s rules, challenging the Edict Platform’s rules! If this ends so easily, how can the Edict Platform enforce anything? Then anyone can fight whenever they want!”

Di Zi’s expression changed. “Zhao Kun, shut up.”

Yue Jian turned, slow and deliberate. “Easily? Anyone can fight whenever they want?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Junior Brother Zhao. Are you saying my palm strike was easy?”

Di Zi hurried to smooth it over. “Senior Sister Yue, he didn’t mean that. He was enraged and lost his head. Please forgive him.”

Zhao Kun tried to speak again.

Di Zi’s starforce snapped outward, slamming him back. He coughed blood again, stumbling.

“One more word and I’ll expel you from the sect,” Di Zi hissed.

Zhao Kun clenched his fists, eyes fixed on Wang Jie with poison. He was young, talented, an elder’s disciple—he’d never imagined he’d be humiliated like this.

If he didn’t repay that slap, it would follow him for life.

Yue Jian didn’t bother with him anymore. She glanced once more at Wang Jie. “If you fight here again, you’ll take two palms.”

She turned and left.

Wang Jie bowed. “This junior brother wouldn’t dare.”

The crowd bowed as well, relief loosening their shoulders only after Yue Jian was gone.

Even among disciples, Yue Jian’s status was on par with an elder.

Wang Jie cast a cold look over Di Zi and Zhao Kun and went back toward the mission counters.

Zhao Kun roared behind him, voice cracking. “Wang Jie! I won’t let you off! Never!”

Di Zi’s eyes were just as cold. “Elder Ming’s disciple isn’t someone you can humiliate. This isn’t over.”

Wang Jie didn’t look back. He merely lifted a hand in a lazy wave and kept walking.

Di Zi left with Zhao Kun. Here, they couldn’t do anything.

Around them, the onlookers stared at Wang Jie with renewed caution.

Was he really backed by the Zhi family? How did a lockforce cultivator attach himself to that kind of power?

Di Zi and Zhao Kun weren’t planning to let him go.

Wang Jie had no intention of letting them go either.

If Fang Jue hadn’t intervened on that first mission, he might already be dead. Now that he knew Di Zi had been behind it, he finally had a target.

The next day, Wang Jie returned to the Edict Platform and found a disciple who hadn’t witnessed yesterday’s scene.

“Help me check what missions Di Zi has taken.”

The disciple hesitated. “Sorry. Only elders can view other people’s mission records.”

“Then show me what missions are available to Roaming-Star Realm Battle Guards.”

Wang Jie’s gaze sharpened as he searched.

Many missions weren’t visible to everyone. Some could only be accepted by Battle Guards—anyone below that level couldn’t even see them.

He scanned the list until his eyes caught on one entry:

Ambush and Kill Wu Yan.

Wu Yan—a dagger-offering order assassin from the second star cloud, estimated combat power close to five hundred thousand. Not long ago he’d infiltrated the Command Hub and attempted to assassinate Elder Li Tong He. He’d failed and escaped.

Wang Jie hadn’t realized something like that had happened while he was away.

More importantly, this mission meant Black-White Heaven had a lead on Wu Yan’s movements—at least a general area.

Pinning down someone from the dagger-offering order was never easy.

How many moles had Black-White Heaven planted?

Wang Jie went through every Roaming-Star Realm Battle Guard mission. Di Zi had only one that made sense.

This one.

He stared at it a moment longer, then accepted.

The mission didn’t even limit the number of participants. It mattered more than anything he’d taken before, and the reward was higher: enough advancement credit for three drops of blood.

Wu Yan was injured, hunted by many, and the reward was still that high. The Command Hub clearly cared about him.

Wang Jie checked the location, then went straight to the harbor and boarded a ship.

Di Zi and her people would be in the area.

Not long after Wang Jie left the Edict Platform, another disciple quietly checked the mission acceptance records. His eyes flickered, and he slipped away without a word.