Chapter 226
Chapter 226: Interception
The spaceship gently landed on a gray planet. Endless mountains stretched across its surface, barren and lifeless. No plants grew, no creatures roamed—it was a world of complete silence and death.
Wang Jie studied the screen, analyzing the planet. His conclusion was simple: it was just an ordinary planet.
This was the location of his mission—to intercept and kill Wu Yan if he appeared nearby.
As this was a Wandering Star Realm assignment, the mission’s scope reached far beyond the planet itself. Yet, Wang Jie was well aware he lacked the strength to challenge someone like Wu Yan, a top-tier expert bold enough to assassinate Li Tong He, a Hundred Star Realm master, alone. Wu Yan’s confidence spoke volumes.
Wang Jie didn’t think he could benefit from fighting Wu Yan directly.
He aimed to ambush Di Zi instead.
As for Elder Ming behind Di Zi, Wang Jie wasn’t worried. Although this cheap master was harsh on him, he was even harsher toward his enemies—Elder Cheng was proof enough.
“Alright, time for the eighth set of exercises…”
Wang Jie lingered on the planet for several days, constantly observing its surroundings for signs of combat fluctuations.
Of course, he also kept a close eye on the Star Disk to ensure Wu Yan didn’t sneak close unnoticed. The opponent was a dagger bearer, skilled at hiding.
Today, as Wang Jie channeled energy into the Star Disk, he suddenly detected a movement of Qi.
Though only a single presence, it was undoubtedly at the Wandering Star Realm.
[Could it be Wu Yan?]
Wang Jie fixed his eyes on the Star Disk, closely observing.
The energy was moving—and heading directly toward him.
Immediately, he scanned the surroundings with the spaceship sensors, yet nothing appeared on the screens. On the Star Disk, however, the Qi drew ever closer.
Sweat dripped from Wang Jie’s forehead. This wasn’t good. The opponent was coming for him—but how did they know his position?
[Is it Wu Yan?]
He couldn’t flee now, or the spaceship would become an easy target. His only chance lay on this planet.
After a moment’s thought, he urgently transmitted his coordinates back to headquarters, confirming Wu Yan’s location near him, hoping to lure Di Zi’s group over.
Wang Jie felt bitter. He’d hoped to ambush Di Zi, yet instead he’d become the prey. Truly, humans couldn’t outwit fate. Now his only hope was survival until backup arrived.
Unfortunately, he’d just recently done his exercises, though thankfully he still had his debt slips to rely on.
He placed three pills in his mouth—a Revive Pill, a Swift Movement Pill, and a Breath Concealing Pill. He wrapped his whip around his waist and swallowed a Body Protection Pill, thoroughly prepared, and stared intently at the Star Disk.
Closer and closer.
Almost here.
[Now!]
Wang Jie suddenly activated the formation book—the Orbit Gathering Array he’d purchased for ten million star stones.
At that exact instant, the Qi arrived just outside the spaceship.
The Orbit Gathering Array activated, lines of energy rapidly spreading, piercing the spaceship and covering the entire planet.
Outside, the approaching figure paused in surprise. [An Orbit Gathering Array?] Without hesitation, she shattered the cabin door with a casual strike.
The moment she entered, Wang Jie’s fist surged forth to meet her, pure Qi colliding directly without any tricks or concealment. At this moment, he had to give it his all.
Crack!
Thunder roared as Wang Jie’s fist collided with the opponent’s Star Force, revealing diamond-shaped crystals floating within the energy. Each crystal shattered by his fist produced thunderous echoes.
[What kind of Star Force is this?]
In that moment, he clearly saw his opponent—it was a woman.
She stared at Wang Jie, stepped back, and raised a yellow bamboo flute to her lips.
Boom!
With a resounding explosion, her Star Force was utterly dispersed.
The woman flew backward, eyes wide with shock.
Her Star Force had actually been shattered—this man’s strength was astonishing.
Wang Jie was equally surprised, for despite his overwhelming attack, he hadn’t directly touched her. This woman’s Star Force was terrifyingly powerful.
“Who are you?” Wang Jie demanded.
The woman calmly met his gaze and replied, “For using despicable means to rescue Li Tong He, I’ve come on behalf of Ming Huang Palace to take your life.” After speaking, she blew her flute again. Diamond-like shards of Star Force erupted from around her, though weakened by the Orbit Gathering Array, they remained formidable.
Wang Jie hadn’t expected someone from Ming Huang Palace. [How did they discover my position? A spy. There must be a traitor in Black White Heaven.]
Just as Black White Heaven could pinpoint tasks precisely, Ming Huang Palace could do the same.
Yet, Wang Jie never imagined becoming their target.
[It must be Su Su.] He’d rescued Li Tong He from her grasp, an event that had shaken Ying Yang Battlefield. Besides her, who else could command such an expert?
The flute’s melody echoed, sending torrents of diamond-like Star Force toward Wang Jie. Even diminished by the array, it still surged powerfully.
Wang Jie evaded swiftly, stepping into Armor Eight Steps.
The woman’s eyes widened. “Armor Eight Steps?”
Wang Jie stared back at her.
“How do you know Armor Eight Steps?” Shock trembled in her voice.
Seeing Armor Eight Steps recognized, Wang Jie quickly replied, “I’m an Armor One Sect disciple sent for trials in Black White Heaven.”
Uncertainty flashed through the woman’s eyes.
Wang Jie laughed coldly. “Don’t believe me?” He pointed forward. “Then look closely—Armor One Sect’s Luo Xuan Finger.”
A distant finger force stabbed forward but was quickly neutralized by the woman’s Star Force.
Without pause, Wang Jie continued, “And now, watch carefully—Armor One Sect’s Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger.” As he spoke, two enormous spectral fingers appeared, one from above and one from below, pressing fiercely toward the woman.
Shock rippled across her face. [Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger? Isn’t that Armor One Sect’s lost technique? Even their own disciples no longer knew it—how could he possibly wield it?]
Yet even Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger couldn’t penetrate her defenses.
Her Star Force vastly exceeded Wang Jie’s imagination. Even combined, the array and technique couldn’t prevail.
In Wang Jie’s eyes, the woman’s internal Qi remained overwhelmingly strong, barely depleted.
“Impossible. Armor One Sect would never send disciples into Black White Heaven for trials,” the woman said coldly, eyes fixed on Wang Jie. “I don’t know where you learned Armor One Sect’s techniques, but even if you truly are their disciple, I will still kill you.”
“Thunder Sound True Technique.”
As her words fell, accompanied by the haunting melody of her flute, boundless Heaven Thunder gathered, twisting endlessly beyond the orbit formation array.
Wang Jie immediately summoned the Thunder Pattern.
A bolt of Heaven Thunder crashed down, striking directly upon his Thunder Pattern, nearly shattering it instantly.
Then followed a second strike, and a third…
This woman’s power was weaker than Yue Jian or Six Dao Wanderer. Those experts could shatter his Thunder Pattern in a single blow. She could not, though she wasn’t far behind.
Visible cracks spread across the Thunder Pattern, pushing it ever closer to collapse.
From behind Wang Jie, flying swords burst forth one by one, slashing toward the woman. Around her, diamond-like Star Force continuously clashed with the blades, accompanied by the ceaseless rumbling of Heaven Thunder.
High above, the orbit formation array relentlessly released waves of Star Force—her Star Force—infused with the echoes of Heaven Thunder, pressing heavily upon the planet below.
She frowned slightly. If not for Senior Sister’s orders to capture him alive, she would have already destroyed the planet, leaving him powerless to resist. Now, things had become troublesome.
[A cultivator at mere Star Breaking Realm—how could he be this strong?]
The Thunder Pattern shattered.
Wang Jie lifted his hand, his wristguard resisting the Heaven Thunder. A numbness spread through his body. Turning swiftly, he thrust out his finger, unleashing the Starry Finger Technique.
The planet trembled, and finger-shadows descended one after another toward the woman.
Her eyes widened in shock. [A Star Method? How could this man even know a Star Method? Impossible.] The sect had called her the next Senior Sister, the second Su Su. Yet compared to him, she suddenly felt ordinary.
[He is only at Star Breaking Realm!]
She couldn’t let him live.
If he couldn’t be captured alive, then death it was.
Her body erupted with overwhelming Star Force, surging upward and destabilizing the orbit formation array.
The spaceship had already been reduced to dust.
She advanced toward Wang Jie step by step, each stride sinking the earth beneath her feet and making the skies roar.
Outside the planet, two ships approached, both bearing assassins tasked with killing Wu Yan—Wandering Star War Guards.
Inside one of them, Di Zi stared at the scene ahead in surprise. “An orbit formation array? Quite a grand display. Who’s fighting Wu Yan?”
Zhao Kun grew impatient. “Senior Sister, let’s attack! If someone else strikes first, we’ll fail!”
Di Zi frowned, feeling uneasy. If she attacked now, was Wu Yan still at full strength? At her peak, Wu Yan wasn’t someone Di Zi dared challenge.
“Senior Sister!” Zhao Kun urged again. He was desperate to complete this mission, returning to ask Master’s help against Wang Jie. Completing this mission was the key to making that request.
Bringing back Wu Yan’s head would make everything possible.
“Quiet!” Di Zi snapped irritably.
Nearby, someone emerged from the other ship. With a glance at Di Zi’s group, the newcomer plunged directly toward the planet.
“It’s Senior Brother Liu—he also accepted the mission!” Zhao Kun became even more anxious. “Senior Sister!”
Di Zi clenched her teeth. “Let’s go.”
They parked their ship in orbit, then charged downward into the planet.
The orbit formation array obscured their vision. Had they seen clearly, they would have realized Wu Yan wasn’t even present. They would have seen that the battle involved someone from Crying Phoenix Palace—and Wang Jie himself.
But no one knew.
Wang Jie desperately dodged the ceaseless Heaven Thunder, each strike summoned by the flute’s melody. He had tried repeatedly to strike at the woman but was blocked by her Star Force. The gap between them was too vast to bridge.
Only by concentrating his Qi, channeling all his strength at once, could he break through her Star Force.
But that required a pause to gather power—and at that critical moment, Heaven Thunder would inevitably strike him, breaking his focus.
Wang Jie continually stepped through the Armor Eight Steps to evade her assaults. “I’m a secret agent of Armor One Sect against Black White Heaven! Kill me, and the sect won’t forgive you. The Wen family won’t forgive you either.”
The woman hesitated. [The Wen family—one of the Armor One Sect’s three great families?]
“You belong to the Wen family?”
“That’s right,” Wang Jie said confidently. “Under direct orders from Senior Sister Wen Star Ru herself.”
She became uncertain. [Wen Star Ru—I’ve heard that name. If he wasn’t from Armor One Sect, how could he know her? Few in Fourth Star Cloud’s Black White Heaven knew names of Armor One Sect’s elite disciples.]
“I personally know Wen Star Ru and Wen Zhao from the Wen family, Yun Lai from the Yun family, even people from Galaxy Combat Equipment Company and Three Chan Heaven. Kill me, and you’ll disrupt Armor One Sect’s plan. You’ll regret it.”
The woman opened her mouth to reply, but at that moment, a figure crashed into the orbit formation array. Unable to control their speed due to the turbulent Star Force, the newcomer slammed straight down, smashing deep into the ground.
Wang Jie and the woman turned to watch.
The newcomer emerged from the crater, glanced at Wang Jie briefly, then turned toward the woman, exclaiming, “Qiao Xi?”
Immediately afterward, two more people crashed into the array, landing hard.
This time it was Di Zi and Zhao Kun.
They saw the woman called Qiao Xi, then noticed Wang Jie.
“Wang Jie?”
Wang Jie exhaled with relief. [Finally, they’re here.] He smiled calmly at Di Zi, saying, “Congratulations, you have your chance to achieve great merit.” He raised a finger, pointing directly at the woman. “She comes from Crying Phoenix Palace.”
Di Zi looked at the woman, brows furrowing. “You’re Qiao Xi? Why are you here?”
Qiao Xi’s eyes shifted from the man to Di Zi, then frowned slightly. She had not expected to encounter these two, who were both formidable opponents.