Chapter 243
Chapter 243: The Universe Is Vast
“Captain, you’re incredible! I’m truly impressed,” Li Cai called out loudly and sincerely.
Shi Wei, Wen Yuan, and Zhi Qing Po all gazed at Wang Jie with admiration.
Han Song spoke in a thoughtful voice: “Captain, you’re the first I’ve ever seen who could adapt to war, command battles, and increase strength so quickly. Even the Six Dao Wanderers might not match your ability.”
Even Yun Ju couldn’t argue this point.
Among the Six Dao Wanderers, some excelled in combat and others in leadership, but none truly mastered both.
At best, their contributions equaled that of a Hundred Star Realm cultivator on the battlefield.
Yet Wang Jie had decisively shaped the outcome of an entire battle.
Wang Jie smiled, amused: “Enough praise, or I’ll get proud.”
Han Song and the others laughed warmly.
Their battleship returned to the Central Hub. Although the Ying Yang Battlefield had been decisively won, plenty of cleanup remained. Elder Wu Yuan, Li Tong He, Elder Ming—all were busy, including Ye Shou, who had come as reinforcement.
When Wang Jie’s group arrived at the Central Hub, they happened to meet Yun Que, who was preparing to leave.
Yun Que had suffered grave injuries at the Spaceport Battle. If not for timely assistance from the Zhi family’s experts, he would have died there.
He had been recovering since Wang Jie returned, so this marked their first formal meeting.
“Greetings, Senior Brother Yun Que,” everyone respectfully bowed.
Yun Que smiled gently, replying: “Junior Brothers, it’s good to see you all safe.”
Li Cai smiled back warmly, asking: “We’re doing well. Ying Yang Battlefield will likely wrap up soon. Senior Brother, are you leaving?”
Yun Que nodded, sighing: “My wounds have healed sufficiently; it’s time to depart.” Stepping forward, he turned toward Wang Jie. “So, you are Wang Jie.”
Wang Jie respectfully greeted him: “Greetings, Senior Brother.”
Yun Que studied Wang Jie thoughtfully, his voice filled with wonder: “I’ve visited Lock Path Interval’s Sword Mastery Heaven—layers four, eight, and thirteen. Which did you reach?”
Wang Jie pondered briefly, then replied: “Layers five, nine, and thirteen.”
Astonished, Yun Que praised sincerely: “Indeed, you’re much stronger than me. I greatly admired Zhong Yi—it’s incredible how high a Lock Force cultivator could ascend. You may become the next Zhong Yi. I look forward to your future.”
They watched Yun Que depart quietly.
Han Song softly spoke: “Among the Six Dao Wanderers, Senior Brother Yun Que is among the friendliest. He genuinely enjoys interacting with junior disciples. Many like him—it’s fortunate he survived Spaceport.”
Wang Jie felt the same.
This Yun Que showed no hint of hypocrisy. Han Ling, despite his friendly demeanor and proactive greetings at the Pill Assembly, somehow always felt false, though Wang Jie couldn’t quite define why.
After returning to the Central Hub, everyone took time to rest.
The busiest sect now was Black White Heaven, yet the more hectic things became, the happier everyone felt.
Commendations continuously arrived from the sect. Elder Ming and Li Tong He smiled until their faces ached. All thanks to Wang Jie. Consequently, Li Tong He often teased Elder Ming good-naturedly.
At the Decree Platform, Wang Jie once crossed paths with Di Zi. Seeing him, she immediately avoided him.
As for Zhao Kun, he had died in battle.
Though Zhao Kun was an elder’s disciple and had been by the powerful Di Zi’s side, even he couldn’t escape his fate. This was the cruelty of war.
One day, Li Tong He came to Wang Jie, granting him direct promotion to Battle Hero status, five hundred million starstones, and another Steward Token. Like the token from Wu Yun, this one also allowed command over a million disciples, but additionally granted authority over twenty Wandering Star Realm cultivators from Black White Heaven.
Anyone could be commanded—unless they too had a Steward Token.
Wang Jie’s heart stirred: “Could this include members of the Six Dao Wanderers or the Zhi family?”
Li Tong He gave him an incredulous look: “Do you think they wouldn’t have Steward Tokens? No matter how limited, a Steward Token cancels all other commands.”
Wang Jie felt disappointed.
Li Tong He laughed, shaking his head: “Alright, there’s one final reward—the greatest of all.”
Wang Jie’s eyes brightened expectantly as he watched Li Tong He.
He had single-handedly crafted the strategy securing Ying Yang Battlefield’s ultimate victory. Naturally, the reward wouldn’t be trivial.
Even prior intelligence merited special sect privileges.
Li Tong He’s expression turned serious: “You’re permitted to select one item from the Zhi Vault.”
Wang Jie was puzzled. “Zhi Vault? What’s that?”
Li Tong He gazed at him enviously: “The Zhi family’s treasury. Anything valuable from ancestors down to direct descendants, upon their death, is appraised and stored there. It’s the Zhi family’s most precious collection—second only to their bloodline bridging techniques.”
Wang Jie felt excitement rise within him.
The Zhi family controlled Black White Heaven. Although this region might not rank in the top three of the First Star Cloud, the Zhi family’s countless years of accumulation made their treasures unimaginable.
“I’m truly envious, kid. No matter how significant the achievement, normally no outsider gets access to the Zhi Vault—it’s the family’s private domain, not Black White Heaven’s. Perhaps it was Senior Xing Xue who arranged this reward.”
“Every item there is immensely valuable—some beyond measure.”
Wang Jie eagerly asked: “When do I choose?”
“Now.”
“Now? Do we return to the sect?”
“No need.” Li Tong He activated his personal terminal, displaying a simple black-and-white interface. Black background, white outlines of objects—no descriptions, colors, or details, just simple shapes.
Wang Jie stared, baffled: “What does this mean?”
Li Tong He shrugged: “Choose—this is your only option. You didn’t think you’d actually enter the Zhi Vault physically, did you?”
“What happens once I’ve chosen?”
“The Zhi family will send someone.”
Wang Jie was speechless. “Isn’t this too careless? I don’t even know what these objects are.”
Li Tong He laughed softly, saying, “Letting you know would be disastrous. Everything stored in the Knowledge Vault is kept secret even from the direct descendants of the Zhi family, much less an outsider like you. All you can do is pick based on their shapes.”
“Alright, hurry up. Each of these treasures is extremely valuable—even if you don’t use it yourself, you could sell it to the sect for plenty of money. It’s like getting it for free.”
Wang Jie rolled his eyes. [For free? If it wasn’t for the Nine Form Diagram, how could I have earned such a reward in the first place?]
He turned his gaze back to the page.
The display was packed with countless items slowly scrolling past. He could swipe up and down freely.
After staring for a while, he couldn’t make out anything based solely on their shapes.
All were the same size, too.
[Who knows if that round thing is a star artifact or some kind of pill? And what’s with all these squares, rectangles, and random shapes?]
With a helpless sigh, Wang Jie flicked his finger across the page, stopping randomly.
The scrolling paused, and he casually pointed, “This one.”
Li Tong He nodded, putting the screen away. “Just wait. The Zhi family will soon deliver your item, and then you can leave.”
“Leave? Where am I going?”
Li Tong He glanced at Wang Jie sympathetically. “The First Main Battlefield.”
Wang Jie’s heart sank. “Wasn’t I supposed to become a battle general first?”
“Ying Yang Battlefield has already been conquered—how can you become a general here?”
“So you’re sending me to the First Main Battlefield to become a general?”
“You’ll understand once you get there. The First Main Battlefield is completely different from this one,” Li Tong He explained meaningfully. “Even the intensity is on another level. It’s the true frontline of our Black White Heaven. Out of every five parts of our total battlefield power, four are deployed there.”
Hearing this, Wang Jie felt even heavier.
The First Main Battlefield—the Haoqian Domain. He himself had assigned Lock Force cultivators to that place before.
It was said that Tong Shou of the sect was there, as well as the Black Realm Lord.
Here, on the Second Main Battlefield, the highest known cultivation was merely Hundred Star Realm. Yet at the First Main Battlefield, at least two Star Refining Realm cultivators had already appeared.
Zhi also oversaw the Haoqian Domain; perhaps he too would head there.
That place was truly dangerous.
Returning to the lounge, Wang Jie rubbed his forehead. [My cheap master definitely won’t let me off easily. Tossing me onto the most dangerous battlefield at once—I don’t even know if I’ll survive.]
His personal terminal buzzed suddenly. Glancing down, he was surprised: [Zhi Nan Xing?]
“Where are you?”
Wang Jie sent his location.
Not long afterward, Zhi Nan Xing arrived.
Ever since their rescue from the spaceport, Zhi Nan Xing had been healing in the central command along with Yun Que. Only now had he finally come to see Wang Jie.
Zhi Nan Xing studied Wang Jie, a strange look in his eyes. “You’ve changed?”
Wang Jie shrugged. “Just luck.”
Zhi Nan Xing smiled bitterly. “It seems your future no longer belongs to the Fourth Star Cloud.”
“I’m just a Lock Force cultivator.”
“I heard about Zhong Yi,” Zhi Nan Xing said quietly.
Wang Jie raised an eyebrow.
Zhi Nan Xing continued earnestly, “Perhaps the limit you’ve reached in Lock Force is also our limit. In that sense, it’s no longer a limit at all.”
Wang Jie asked curiously, “Why did you come to see me?”
Zhi Nan Xing replied, “I’m going back. The Ying Yang Battlefield is over. I came to say goodbye, and also to resolve some of the grudges on Zhi Shu’s behalf.”
At the mention of Zhi Shu, Wang Jie’s expression darkened slightly. “There’s no need to explain.”
Zhi Nan Xing said softly, “Everything Zhi Shu did was at Ancestor Zhi Qing’s command.”
“I know,” Wang Jie answered plainly. “I just want to say this clearly: your esteemed Zhi family hasn’t reached the point of needing to fear a mere Lock Force cultivator like me.”
“You’re not an ordinary Lock Force cultivator,” Zhi Nan Xing sighed. “When I went missing, Central Command’s rescue was mostly because of a three-party negotiation. But when you vanished, it attracted the attention of so many powerful people. Your status has become very high.”
“Can you speak for Zhi Shu?”
“No,” Zhi Nan Xing admitted frankly, “but I hope that if one day she falls into your hands, you’ll spare her life.”
Wang Jie looked intently at Zhi Nan Xing. “You overestimate me.”
Zhi Nan Xing’s voice grew bitter. “How long has it been since you first entered the Hanhai Sea? Yet you’ve already completely surpassed Zhi Shu. Among those in the sect right now, aside from Six Dao Wanderer, I can’t think of anyone who could confidently defeat you. With just a little more progress, you might even compete for the position of Six Dao Wanderer. No one dares underestimate you now.”
“The Zhi family rules the Fourth Star Cloud, and to others, it seems glorious and untouchable. In reality, certain powers simply don’t bother to compete for it. Many in my family can’t see this clearly. But I’ve lived through war—I understand.”
“The upper limit of the Zhi family is just the starting point for certain existences.”
“Our glory is far less than what others perceive. Otherwise, Ancestor Xing Xue would never have been allowed to return.”
Wang Jie didn’t argue. Zhi Nan Xing’s words were true. The more he understood the universe, the clearer it became: they were frogs sitting at the bottom of a well.
Even the great Big Dipper Bridge Pillar might only be a minor corner.
Those few Full Star Realm cultivators that Si Yao had shown him could probably defeat nearly everyone in Black White Heaven, except perhaps the very first-ranked Six Dao Wanderer—and he didn’t even know where those cultivators came from. That was the most frightening thing of all.
The skeletal clan being had slain a Six Dao Wanderer of the Zhi family in just one move.
That scene was burned into Wang Jie’s mind, something he’d never forget as long as he lived.
The universe truly was vast.