Chapter 235

Chapter 235: Clearing the Way

When he finished, Qing Huan looked Wang Jie over. “If you ever get absurdly lucky and manage to touch spacetime, your fate will change at the root.

Even if lockforce has no future, there will be more factions willing to take you in than you can count, because you’ll be a walking spacetime trigger.

Countless people will want to use you to touch spacetime.”

Wang Jie smiled. “Then this junior will wish Wandering God touches spacetime soon and becomes the best of all Wandering Gods.”

Qing Huan looked delighted, like she was about to laugh.

Wang Jie suddenly changed course. “No. Not the best of all Wandering Gods.”

Qing Huan’s smile vanished. She stared at him.

Wang Jie took a step back and bowed deeply. “Wandering God will eventually break through to Hundred-Star Realm. This junior wishes Wandering God becomes Tian Cang’s number one.”

Qing Huan blinked, then grinned even wider, studying him with open admiration. “You even know Tian Cang?”

“I heard of it by chance.”

“I’ll take your blessing. If that day comes, I’ll carry you along for the ride.”

“Many thanks, Wandering God.”

Qing Huan hummed and handed him a green leaf. “This is my token. If you ever need help, blow it.

As long as you’re within range, I can make it in time to help you once.

Consider it repayment for what you taught me.”

Wang Jie accepted it with solemn care. “Thank you, Wandering God.”

Qing Huan glanced at her storage ring, hesitated, then pulled out Zhong Yi’s sword and held it out. Even as she offered it, her fingers tightened around the hilt. “Here. Yours. I’m giving it back.”

Wang Jie stared at how firmly she was clutching it, then pressed his lips together. “No need. This sword doesn’t suit me.”

Qing Huan snatched it back immediately, then looked at him with bright, almost sparkling eyes. “Really? You don’t want it?”

“I don’t.”

More like he couldn’t take it. She clearly didn’t want to give it up. Wang Jie had no intention of getting himself silenced over a sword. Who knew what kind of temper this girl had?

Qing Huan frowned, genuinely conflicted. “I don’t like taking advantage. You helped me, and you gave me that sword. I should give you something. Let me think.”

“No need. Wandering God already dealt with that person for me. That counts as saving my life.”

“Him? Don’t worry. You’ll never see him again for the rest of your life.”

Wang Jie paused. That was a vicious way to phrase it.

“Oh, right. Take this.”

Qing Huan fished out another item and tossed it to him.

Wang Jie caught it, then blurted, “Third Zen Heaven Zen Token?”

Qing Huan blinked in surprise. “You know what that is?”

“I’ve seen one before. They say it’s extremely valuable.”

“It’s fine. With this, you can go straight into Third Zen Heaven and receive true-disciple status and benefits, or have them help you once.

But it’s useless to me.

If I run into danger, Third Zen Heaven won’t be able to save me.

For you, though? It should be worth a lot.”

Wang Jie was genuinely moved. “Thank you, Wandering God.”

A five-tribulations chen artifact was priceless, but it still couldn’t compare to a Zen Token.

Zhi Xing Xue had once traded a Zen Token for Black-White Heaven’s deterrence, using it to pressure Third Nebula into leaving an entire stretch of star territory untouched and protecting Silver Radiance Empire.

That alone said everything about how seriously Black-White Heaven regarded Zen Tokens.

With this Zen Token, Wang Jie had just gained a new identity: a prospective true disciple of Third Zen Heaven.

“All right. That’s that. I’m leaving.”

Qing Huan waved at Wang Jie. As she turned, she casually snatched Wu Yan up and hung him beneath Crescent Moon. Then she flicked a glance back and gave a quick laugh. “Wang Jie, there’s a huge swath of ice magma beneath the ground. It should be useful to you too. Take as much as you want.”

Wang Jie jerked in surprise and looked down through the frozen crust.

“I’m heading out. I’ll clear a path for you before I go. Otherwise, you might not be able to get out at all.”

As she spoke, she swept her long hair back, lips curving. In the hazy yellow light, her profile looked almost unreal.

The next instant, Crescent Moon arced. A yellow phantom slash streaked away, racing into the distance until it seemed to vanish into nothing.

Then, before Wang Jie’s stunned eyes, the frozen ground in one direction split cleanly in two.

Wang Jie went rigid. That… that?

Qing Huan seemed pleased with his expression. She laughed once and vanished.

Wang Jie stared at the rift. It began beneath his feet and spread outward—a colossal crack carving across the white wasteland as far as the eye could see. Wherever it passed, frozen ground and Polar Earthworm alike were ripped apart by her Fen Lie. The devastation didn’t stop until the fissure seemed to reach the starry sky itself.

That kind of strength was horrifying.

This was frozen ground. Even a Roaming-Star Realm cultivator would struggle to damage it.

Otherwise, the earlier fighting would have shattered Skyport long ago.

Even the Hundred-Star Realm clash in the main direction hadn’t bled into the other two, and yet Qing Huan—using only Roaming-Star Realm strength—had torn open an entire direction of frozen earth.

Ordinary Hundred-Star Realm weren’t even her match.

This was the combat power of a Wandering God.

And she hadn’t even looked like she was trying.

Wang Jie exhaled slowly. He had no idea when he would ever reach that level.

At least he could leave now.

That direction would be safe.

As long as he got clear of Skyport, he could contact the Command Hub and get picked up.

Then he remembered. Ice magma underground?

Wang Jie looked down again and caught sight of a white river flowing beneath the crust. He stared. No way… was all of that ice magma?

He hadn’t expected there to be so much.

Did those Polar Earthworm usually swallow and spit up ice magma?

Ice magma was good stuff, especially for body refining.

If it benefited others, it would benefit him even more.

He didn’t hesitate. He started collecting—everything he could.

Not long after, the rift had stretched across the frozen land in a single direction, and there wasn’t a single Polar Earthworm on either side of the crack.

Wang Jie followed it without resistance until he reached the edge of Skyport. He looked back once. Beneath the white frozen crust lay endless danger. This time, he had survived.

He contacted the Command Hub.

—

At that moment, the atmosphere inside the Command Hub was suffocating.

The ship docks, the edict platform—everything felt dead. Countless cultivators sat in the rest halls in grim silence.

It wasn’t because of the battle at Skyport.

It was because Wang Jie was missing.

Yes. Wang Jie going missing had shaken the entire Ying Yang Battlefield.

At first, Skyport’s battle had cost Black-White Heaven dearly. But they had prepared, and many still made it back. The losses were harsh, but within what they could bear.

More importantly, Yue Jian’s betrayal was confirmed—a hidden danger cut out at the root. From then on, there would be no more worries from behind.

And Zhi Nan Xing had been rescued.

It should have been something to celebrate.

Except Wang Jie had vanished.

Normally, Wang Jie was insignificant—at least that was what most people told themselves.

Even if he had formed a squad and shone on the battlefield, drawing awe;

Even if he had reached Roaming-Star Realm battle power while still at Star-Breaking Realm, and not the ordinary kind;

Even if he had Zhi Family backing.

None of that should have been enough for his disappearance to shake the entire Black-White Heaven presence on the Ying Yang Battlefield.

But the moment everyone returned to the Command Hub, the unexpected happened.

First came a call from Zhi Upper Realm—Zhi Xing Xue herself. Her tone was cold, sharp, and unmistakably furious as she questioned the entire Command Hub. Elder Li Tong He, Elder Ming, even the supporting Night Hunt—no one was spared.

Hundred-Star Realm experts were grilled one after another about every detail of the war.

Everyone understood what she cared about: Wang Jie. They’d already braced themselves.

This was the battlefield. People died. Sometimes there was nothing to do but accept it.

Elder Li Tong He was the one who felt the worst. Wang Jie had saved his life. Even if he repaid that debt, Wang Jie was still one of theirs. The thought that Wang Jie might be dead sat like a stone in his chest.

Elder Ming, on the other hand, could barely hide his delight. Even grievously wounded, he looked as if he were swallowing laughter.

To most of them, Zhi Xing Xue’s questioning wasn’t fatal. Let her scold them. Let her vent. They could endure a senior’s anger.

Then the Black Realm Lord contacted them, asking about the battle at Skyport—and specifically asking about Wang Jie.

That made everyone uneasy. Why would the Black Realm Lord care about a mere Wang Jie?

Still, they answered honestly.

No one had plotted against him. Wang Jie had simply been unlucky. He warned Yue Jian and got ambushed by Wu Yan. And not only was Yue Jian a traitor, Wu Yan had latched onto Wang Jie as well. They vanished together.

To be blunt, if Wu Yan had gone down with him, many of them would have called it a profitable trade.

If anyone should have been furious, it should have been the Dagger-Offering Order.

After the Black Realm Lord, the White Realm Lord called.

His voice was calm, but his attention was unmistakable. He wanted to know whether Wang Jie was alive or dead. He wanted confirmation.

Confirmation how?

Go back into Skyport?

Only a fool would volunteer for that.

Then Celestial Master Bai Ye contacted them, and the Command Hub’s mood sank even lower.

That was Bai Ye—Celestial Master Bai Ye. Many of the pills needed by Hundred-Star Realm depended on her. If she was displeased, it hurt everyone.

And she wasn’t polite. She cursed them outright, calling everyone on the Ying Yang Battlefield useless trash who couldn’t even protect one Wang Jie.

Protect him? Since when were they supposed to be his bodyguards?

Elder Ming simmered with indignation.

The Night Hunt expert was even more annoyed. Wang Jie? Who was that? He didn’t even know the man.

But no one dared argue. They could only endure the tirade.

After that, a chen refiner contacted them, urging them not to give up searching for Wang Jie—no threats, only a tone of regret, as if a valuable piece had been lost.

Then came Zhi Ye.

Zhi Ye was the spearhead of Zhi Family’s third generation, someone whose influence reached into the Black-and-White Realms and Zhi Upper Realm alike. Within Black-White Heaven itself, his authority was second only to Old Ancestor Zhi Yu. And he personally issued a command: search for Wang Jie. Alive or dead—it didn’t matter.

Lord after lord came asking.

The Command Hub was stunned into numbness.

What was happening?

How could one missing Star-Breaking Realm cultivator draw the attention of this many towering figures?

It still wasn’t over.

News arrived that First Nebula’s Milky Way Defense Corporation had asked about Wang Jie. Rumor claimed they intended to borrow personnel for cultivation exchanges in First Nebula—and the first name on their list was Wang Jie.

When Elder Li Tong He heard that, his scalp went numb.

Just who was Wang Jie?

Whose son? Whose grandson? Whose disciple?

How could his influence reach so far that it spilled into First Nebula?

No one dared waste time. The Command Hub immediately activated a re-entry into Skyport to search for him.

At that moment, even Elder Ming cooperated. Night Hunt personally led the charge. Anyone who dared block them would be declaring themselves the enemy of all Black-White Heaven.

As for Wang Jie’s squad—

Yun Ju had been the most gleeful at first, loudly insisting Wang Jie should have died long ago.

Now he didn’t dare say a single word. One wrong sentence, and he might become someone’s outlet.

In the middle of that storm, Wang Jie finally made contact.

“Who is it?

Is that Wang Jie?”

Elder Li Tong He had never been so desperate to hear a voice.

Wang Jie stood at the edge of the frozen ground, staring at his personal terminal in confusion. With the way Li Tong He sounded, you’d think someone’s grandfather had just called in. “It’s me, Elder. This disciple got trapped in the frozen ground. Could the Command Hub send a ship to pick me up?”

“Where are you?”

Li Tong He’s voice shook with urgency.

Wang Jie entered his coordinates.

“Stay where you are—don’t move. No, hide first. Hide nearby, somewhere safe, and don’t take risks. I’ll have Night Hunt pick you up immediately.”

Wang Jie blinked. “Who’s coming for me?”

“Night Hunt. A Hundred-Star Realm expert under the Night Realm Lord. Don’t worry. We’ll bring you back safely.”

Li Tong He practically shouted.

Wang Jie’s heart sank. That didn’t sound like a rescue. It sounded like an arrest.

“Elder, the Command Hub traitor is Yue Jian.”

“I know.”

Wang Jie swallowed. “This disciple… hasn’t done anything wrong, right?”