Chapter 247
Chapter 247: Sword Spine
Cheng Feng raised his hand, and the fallen sword flew back into his grasp. Lifting it steadily, he pointed the blade directly at Wang Jie, saying coldly: “I admit I underestimated you, but you won’t get anothTwo Chance. Now, witness the Star Dust Sword Art of my Edge Sect.”
Edge Sect was famous for cultivating the Sword Spine and swallowing Star Dust.
The so-called Sword Spine referred to the ultimate bridge law technique of Edge Sect’s master, the Cheng family’s renowned Sword Spine technique.
As for swallowing Star Dust, it meant absorbing a special substance called star dust. During cultivation, star dust would merge into the sword qi, making the sword qi invisible. Each speck of star dust could conceal one blade of sword qi. Thus, the number of invisible sword qi depended on the amount of star dust consumed.
Wang Jie recalled the information he had gathered.
Cheng Feng had already made his move, slashing out with a single strike. Though it appeared as only one sword, only Cheng Feng himself knew how many invisible blades lay hidden within it.
Wang Jie watched the sword shadow approaching, his gaze fixed upon Cheng Feng. Under Qi Observation, nothing could hide.
Qi Observation was precisely the nemesis of invisible sword qi. However, he couldn’t reveal this skill openly. If others learned that someone in the Star Breaking Realm could see through invisible sword qi, they would instantly realize he practiced Qi Observation. On this battlefield between bridge pillars, Qi Observers weren’t as rare as in the fourth Star Cloud.
Then, he decided, [It must be Star Gazing Sword Style.]
When it came to sword shadows, Star Gazing Sword Style had the most.
Raindrop-like sword strikes poured forth, covering everything completely. No matter how many invisible sword qi Cheng Feng had released, they would all be struck down.
But Cheng Feng was unconcerned. If his Star Dust Sword Art were so easily defeated, it wouldn’t deserve to be Edge Sect’s ultimate technique. Tightening his grip on the hilt, he thrust forward, sending out a visible sword qi toward Wang Jie. Hidden immediately behind it, countless invisible sword qi followed under his precise control.
Wang Jie raised an eyebrow, surprised Cheng Feng had hidden every invisible sword qi behind a single visible one, directly confronting him blade against blade.
With a flick of his wrist, Wang Jie sent all his Star Gazing Sword Style strikes forward.
Sword techniques clashed with sword qi, each collision erupting in invisible explosions of power. Waves of star force and lock force rippled outward, shattering the surrounding ground continuously.
Under their fierce attacks, the planet beneath their feet crumbled.
Wang Jie and Cheng Feng sank deeper and deeper amidst the collapsing terrain. Cheng Feng’s eyes widened in astonishment. This man had truly blocked all of his invisible sword qi? Clearly, his sword technique wasn’t weak either.
An ordinary Full Star Realm cultivator could only summon at most nine invisible sword qi using the Star Dust Sword Art. Yet Cheng Feng had cultivated twenty-six, each blade immensely powerful. The true terror of invisible sword qi lay in their strength and relentless hidden attacks. Cheng Feng had estimated that at most fifteen would be Wang Jie’s limit, forcing him to dodge or counterattack differently after that.
This would give the invisible sword qi a chance at victory.
But unexpectedly, Wang Jie kept blocking every strike purely through sword techniques, continuously delaying the deployment of the invisible sword qi.
Star Gazing Sword Style itself was nowhere near the Star Dust Sword Art in quality. Its greatest advantage was its sheer quantity. Wang Jie only needed to pour power and qi into each sword stroke, matching Cheng Feng’s hidden blades evenly.
In truth, this wasn’t merely a duel between sword techniques but also a contest of their inner strength.
Cheng Feng indeed was strong. To unleash such power at the Full Star Realm made him comparable to Wang Jie before he reached the Skyport. But ultimately, he still wasn’t enough.
Finally, with a deafening explosion, the barrage of sword strikes ceased.
By now, the planet had already shattered beneath their feet, slowly sinking into the Cloud Stream.
Frowning, Wang Jie leaped toward the previous planet. Cheng Feng also called forth his Thunder Roar Hound.
Far away, Edge Sect disciples on the planet all attacked the approaching Wang Jie. Wang Jie moved swiftly with Sword Step, dodging every assault. Behind him, the Thunder Roar Hound let out a deafening roar, carrying Cheng Feng in pursuit.
All around, several Black White Heaven Wandering Star Realm cultivators shot into the air, attempting to flee.
The woman watched Wang Jie rush toward the planet. She hesitated briefly before deciding to leave. She didn’t even know this man; there was no reason to risk her life for him. Even though he’d previously saved her, that was simply because of the war.
She felt justified, turning to leave.
But suddenly, an icy chill surged to the crown of her head. Turning swiftly, she found Wang Jie staring straight at her.
Wang Jie had already reached the planet, evading attacks yet still staring at her. Instinctively, she knew if she dared truly leave, death awaited her.
Though she didn’t know how, her battlefield-honed instincts were certain of it.
Gritting her teeth, she called out: “Help him.”
One of the wandering star realm cultivators beside her ignored her completely, turning to flee instead. Help? Ridiculous. Why should they risk themselves? Even those Thunder Roar Hounds were enough to kill them.
Wang Jie blocked a thunder pattern with one hand and flung his sword with the other.
The sword pierced the void, shooting toward the fleeing wandering star realm cultivator.
That cultivator spun around in shock, eyes widening as he tried desperately to block—but the sword pierced directly through his neck, sending him tumbling into the Cloud Stream below.
Seeing this, the woman’s blood ran cold.
The two other escaping Black White Heaven Wandering Star Realm cultivators exchanged fearful glances and quickly rushed forward to rescue their allies. Killing one to warn the rest had utterly terrified them into obedience.
Cheng Feng’s eyes narrowed sharply. [What ruthless methods—if I don’t kill this man now, he’ll be a terrifying enemy on future battlefields.]
Wang Jie swiftly assessed the battlefield with a single glance, then stepped back, raising his hand to unleash the Starry Finger technique.
Countless finger shadows fell like stars, piercing through the Edge Sect disciples, killing each instantly.
“Senior brother, careful!” the woman shouted urgently.
Turning quickly, Wang Jie saw Cheng Feng standing firmly atop the Thunder Roar Hound. Every bit of qi from Cheng Feng’s body gathered behind him as he soared into the air. With blinding brilliance lighting his back, he brought his sword down with an unmatched strike: the Sword Spine.
In this single strike, all of Cheng Feng’s inner qi fused completely into his blade, unleashing a devastatingly powerful attack.
The sheer force surpassed even Han Song and Qiao Xi’s strongest blows, sending chills down Wang Jie’s spine.
Wang Jie’s arm trembled slightly as countless finger shadows merged into one, condensing the Starry Finger technique to its peak. Then, he thrust forward decisively.
Finger clashed against sword.
Qi collided fiercely with qi.
Power surged through the heart of their strikes.
With a sharp crack, the blade shattered. Cheng Feng’s pupils shrank in disbelief. [Impossible.]
Wang Jie moved swiftly, stepping past Cheng Feng. His Sword Step struck directly at Cheng Feng’s chest, hurling both him and his broken sword down toward the Cloud Stream. Wang Jie landed beside the young woman, who quickly grabbed his hand, stepping through the void and fleeing instantly.
At that moment, the people from Edge Sect had no attention to spare for Wang Jie. They watched Cheng Feng fall toward the Cloud Stream, their expressions filled with alarm.
This was someone from the Cheng family.
Fortunately, the Thunder Roar Hound leaped down swiftly, catching Cheng Feng right before he fell into the Cloud Stream.
Lying on the back of the Thunder Roar Hound, Cheng Feng gazed bitterly into the distance. He had lost. Lost to someone merely at the Star Breaking Realm. He couldn’t accept it. He had deliberately delayed advancing beyond Wandering Star Realm, intending to amaze everyone at the Starry Martial Meet.
Yet, before the Meet even began, he had already suffered defeat at the hands of someone from the Star Breaking Realm.
He still had a long way to go.
Far away, the young woman’s face was pale. Her body was half-soaked in blood and numb, yet she kept moving swiftly above the Cloud Stream, one hand still holding onto Wang Jie.
She had been injured during the recent battle.
If not for Wang Jie defeating Cheng Feng and drawing everyone’s attention, she might not have escaped at all.
The other two Wandering Star Realm companions had failed to escape.
Wang Jie withdrew his gaze from behind them. No one pursued. [Cheng Feng must not have fallen into the Cloud Stream.] Turning, he looked at the young woman and asked, “Are you injured?”
The woman replied respectfully, “Yes, but I’ve already taken a Revive Pill. Once we return to the Central Node, I’ll be fine.”
“You know where the Central Node is?”
“I do. We came from there,” she answered with a bitter smile. “We thought that by joining forces, a few Wandering Star Realms could make contributions on a remote battlefield. But we didn’t expect to encounter Cheng Feng, who obviously had the same idea.”
Wang Jie didn’t reply.
The woman endured her pain, swiftly taking him far from their previous location.
After traveling for some time, they saw a floating planet. It appeared deserted.
They both wanted to approach, but the woman hesitated anxiously. “There might be an ambush.”
Wang Jie’s Star Disk observation range was too limited to confirm the danger, so they had no choice but to leave first.
Although an ambush was unlikely, this was still a battlefield. No one could be sure whether they’d encounter someone strong.
Two days passed before they finally reached a planet occupied by their own people, stopping at last to rest.
“Senior Brother, please rest for a moment. I’ll recover quickly.” The woman withdrew to tend her wounds. Wang Jie nodded, unconcerned she might run away. There was no need for her to flee.
Several hours later, the woman returned, her complexion much improved.
“Has Senior Brother just arrived at Cloud Stream Domain?”
“Yes. I don’t know much about the situation. As soon as I arrived, I was thrown into battle.”
“That’s normal. There’s nowhere completely safe in Cloud Stream Domain. We attack our enemies, and our enemies attack us. And frankly, we’ve always been at a disadvantage.”
“Why?”
“I’m not sure myself. Perhaps it’s because my Black White Heaven can’t match Edge Sect.”
They talked at length. Wang Jie had just arrived, naturally eager to learn as much as possible.
“This is Orbital Dust. It can monitor an area of about a hundred meters and track combat achievements,” she explained, opening her personal terminal to show a connection to some kind of monitoring device.
[Orbital Dust?]
“You mean what’s set up along the asteroid belts?”
“Exactly, but it’s far more versatile when linked to personal terminals. Actually, there are many ways to monitor achievements, but we eventually found Orbital Dust to be the most cost-effective…”
The woman kept explaining, sharing everything Wang Jie needed to know—not purely out of kindness, but hoping Wang Jie might help her return safely to the Central Node.
“Entering the Central Node means freedom.”
“That’s our situation. But is there any true freedom on the battlefield? We must complete missions monthly; otherwise, we’re forcibly assigned to battles involving Hundred Star Realm existences. Several of us Wandering Star Realms teamed up to select simpler tasks, but if the Central Node assigns it as a mission, it’s never truly simple,” she said bitterly.
Wang Jie was puzzled. “Why don’t you return to your sect?”
The woman shook her head. “Entering the battlefield is easy, leaving is difficult. This isn’t just any battlefield—this is the First Main Battlefield. Here, whether you leave or not doesn’t depend on combat merit, but on Tong Shou. If Tong Shou refuses to let you go, you can’t leave no matter what.”
Her gaze grew complex as she looked out toward the Cloud Stream. “Countless fellow disciples have died here. They thought they could earn achievements, gather resources, and return proudly to their sect. But even after surviving countless life-and-death battles, leaving remains nearly impossible.”
Wang Jie hadn’t expected things to be this way.
On the Ying Yang Battlefield, one had a chance to leave upon reaching Battle Soldier rank. It was utterly different here.
These people were trapped.
He rose, gazing at the quiet Cloud Stream. From any perspective, this place resembled a giant grinding stone, crushing the flesh and blood of those trapped within.
The next day, the young woman took Wang Jie onward toward the Central Node.
On the planet, many watched with envy, yearning to follow them to the Central Node. But reaching Wandering Star Realm was exceedingly difficult. No one could guarantee they wouldn’t be struck down.
The Central Node was a distant dream for many—a place desired, yet beyond reach.