Chapter 254

Chapter 254: Overlay Sword Technique

The central core was a cluster of countless planets. Each planet was vast, too immense for even all the cultivators combined to fill. Thus, many sought quiet corners for secluded training.

At this moment, Wang Jie needed both the Withered Tree Renewal Array to break his limits and to cultivate the Yi Sword Technique. Both were crucial tasks.

He took out his Star Disk, expanding its scope, ensuring the area around him was empty. Only then did he activate the Formation Book.

It was an experience unlike anything he’d known before.

Grass sprang up from the earth, carrying a pleasant, soothing fragrance. This scent, unique and comforting, marked the revival of all living things.

Standing within the Withered Tree Renewal Array, Wang Jie took a deep breath, savoring this climate most harmonious to the human body.

But suddenly, the void yellowed visibly as if time itself were flowing away. Outside the array, nothing changed, but within, the grass withered, and the air grew cold, dry, and lifeless. Time decayed everything within, creating two distinct worlds separated only by the formation’s boundary.

At the same moment, his body began aging. His skin wrinkled, and his bones creaked faintly, fragile and brittle, mimicking the cycle of seasons.

Wang Jie sat cross-legged, silently feeling the passage of time.

He was like a maple leaf, flourishing yet decaying. Above him, he imagined an hourglass of time, the sands falling ceaselessly onto his body and into his senses.

He stretched out a hand, feeling the changes in the void. Was he touching time, or was it space?

Soon, the season shifted once more. Grass emerged again, vivid and lush, reaching joyously towards the breeze.

Wang Jie opened his eyes. [No, this was too brief.] The decay had not yet driven his body to its physical limits before renewal began. This array was best suited for comprehending the flow of time rather than truly testing his body. [What a pity, it did not meet expectations.]

Seeing the void change once more, Wang Jie closed his eyes again. [Whatever the case, I’ll wait until the formation naturally dissipates. It must not be wasted.]

For many seeking to grasp the Dao of Time, this formation would be exceedingly precious.

As the Formation Book slowly faded, Wang Jie stood up, gazing at his palm. He had touched time, but it moved too swiftly—like flowing water, intangible and elusive. Perhaps one day, if he could grasp time itself, he would achieve power unimaginable to ordinary people.

Next was the Yi Sword Technique.

Previously, he had rarely practiced this technique. His Star Method already included the Starry Finger technique. Before his vision reached the next stage, Yi Sword Technique could only control a single sword, offering little help.

But the Way of the Sword Formation had enlightened him. One sword was the current limit of Yi Sword Technique—but it wasn’t Wang Jie’s personal limit. He had the Sword Form Technique.

The Sword Form Technique held an invisible force that connected swords together.

This power was mysterious and had emerged after Thunder Well, similar in nature to the Bridge Law technique.

Through the Way of the Sword Formation, Wang Jie realized that while he could control only one sword, he could link multiple swords together.

Lifting his hand, a sword appeared. He gently raised his arm, activating Yi Sword Technique.

Rain began to fall from the sky—it was the Sword Rain Technique. Each drop of rain was sword qi, capable of attacking, defending, or simply being genuine rain.

The rain fell, under Wang Jie’s control. In some places, it cut through everything, while elsewhere it left things untouched. A small tuft of grass grew even greener beneath the moisture of the sword rain.

Next, a second sword appeared.

Still Sword Rain Technique.

His vision had not reached the level required to control multiple swords simultaneously, so each sword could only individually cast the Sword Rain Technique.

Yet as the second sword appeared, the rain thickened.

Wang Jie’s eyes brightened. [Indeed, I’m stacking the Sword Rain Technique.] This was not pure control but rather the linkage provided by Sword Form Technique. [This was the true purpose of Sword Form Technique.]

What did it matter if he could only cast Sword Rain Technique with one sword at a time? By linking two, three, or even more swords, the stacked Sword Rain Technique would grow exponentially powerful.

Its effectiveness depended not on vision, but purely on his mastery of Sword Form Technique.

Yi Sword Technique belonged to the Star Method, yet stacking Sword Rain Technique like this was outside the Star Method’s limitations.

With excitement gleaming in his eyes, Wang Jie continued experimenting. He finally determined that he could currently overlay three swords simultaneously.

The rain grew dense, and the sword qi intensified significantly.

Though it still couldn’t match the true triple-sword control of Yi Sword Technique, Wang Jie knew that as sword numbers increased, the stacked technique would surpass it. Especially once his vision reached the next level, allowing him true triple-sword control—how formidable would the stacked triple Sword Rain Technique become then?

Anticipation stirred within him.

Shortly afterward, Wang Jie left the central core, joining a group as they explored in a specific direction.

Many recognized Wang Jie and showed him great respect.

During exploration after exploration, whenever they encountered enemies, Wang Jie directly unleashed the Sword Rain Technique. Its clearing effect was superb, sword rain falling within a hundred-meter radius, slaying foes with just a glance. Only when powerful enemies appeared did he need to fight personally.

After repeated instances of Wang Jie defeating foes effortlessly with Sword Rain Technique, the battlefield gradually bestowed upon him a nickname: Rain Reaper.

It sounded awful.

When Wang Jie first heard it, his expression turned unpleasant. He wanted desperately to find whoever created such an unpleasant nickname.

Xiao Luo Si had visited Wang Jie twice, trying to recruit him into Armor One Sect. He declined both times.

This woman outwardly appeared enthusiastic, seemingly valuing him highly. Yet deep in her eyes, she couldn’t conceal contempt for cultivators of Lock Force. Such contempt stemmed both from her noble Xiao family lineage within Armor One Sect and from the cultivation world’s general disdain toward Lock Force cultivators.

In contrast, that old woman also looked down on Lock Force cultivators, but at least she hid it well.

Rejected again and again by Wang Jie, Xiao Luo Si felt her spirits dim. She soon turned and departed, leaving the battlefield behind.

During this time, Wang Jie witnessed a shocking scene: countless planets being pushed one after another into Cloud Stream.

He had never imagined that worlds massive enough to house billions of souls could be thrust into Cloud Stream like mere bubbles. [Where did these planets come from? What mighty being could wield such power?]

[Wouldn’t pushing Blue Star be just as easy for someone like that?]

He asked around but received no answers.

At the quiet central command, Tong Shou’s face darkened as she listened to the heated argument below.

“I still advise we abandon the rescue. Fang He brought this on himself with his arrogance. He ignored our warnings, charging ahead blindly. Did he really think a Six Dao Wanderer was invincible? Now he’s trapped in Edge Sect’s carefully laid traps. Anyone who tries to save him will only share his fate.”

“You’re not wrong, but Fang He came to the battlefield willingly. If we let him die encircled by enemies without lifting a finger, how would our disciples see us once word reaches the sect? Who would still be willing to join us?”

“But saving Fang He means huge losses! Edge Sect has set their sights specifically on us.”

“You still don’t get it? This isn’t just about saving Fang He himself—it’s about making a stand.”

“Making a stand by sacrificing us? You want to save him, go yourself. I’m not going.”

“What good can one person do alone?”

“Enough,” Tong Shou sharply interrupted, silencing Elder Wu and Elder Luo. They were the ones arguing.

Tong Shou stared coldly at them, her voice stern: “Fang He deserves death, but not like this.”

Elder Wu replied, “Tong Shou, even if we try to save him, the enemy Hundred Star Realm experts will block us. Who can truly save Fang He? We only have one Six Dao Wanderer here, and it’s already too late to call for reinforcements from the sect.”

“Besides, Fang He is neither weak nor foolish. If he met an unbeatable enemy, he’d surely retreat. The fact he’s still trapped means perhaps the Three Blades of Blade Gate have arrived.”

Elder Luo frowned deeply, “Old Wu, don’t spread wild guesses. Do you have any proof?”

Elder Wu didn’t reply—it was merely a guess.

The Three Blades of Blade Gate were on par with Black White Heaven’s Six Dao Wanderers. However, Edge Sect was stronger than Black White Heaven, making these three swords even more fearsome than ordinary Six Dao Wanderers.

If the Three Blades were here, then even if Hundred Star Realm experts were held back, rescuing Fang He would still be nearly impossible.

Tong Shou thought calmly for a moment before speaking again, “Whatever the case, Fang He must be rescued. Otherwise, no other Six Dao Wanderer would ever join us again. Still, we must use an unexpected method.”

She turned to Elder Wu, “Bring Wang Jie here.”

…

In a mist-covered corner of Cloud Stream, forests on a planet were hidden beneath thick, swirling fog.

Inside the forest, a weary figure sat slumped against a stone.

His face was pale, his eyes staring vacantly into the mist, lost in unknown thoughts.

Someone beside him quietly whispered, “Brother Xiao, do you think Senior Brother Fang He can break out?”

The one addressed as Brother Xiao shook his head, “I don’t know.”

“Ah, I thought following a Six Dao Wanderer would bring us glory. Who knew we’d get trapped in this forsaken place?” The man grumbled softly, afraid to be overheard. Suddenly curious, he continued, “Brother Xiao, I heard you were recently transferred back to Lock Path Interval. How did you end up here again?”

Brother Xiao was none other than Xiao Rong, the top Lock Force expert of Black White Heaven.

A Wandering Star Realm cultivator of Lock Force.

Thinking back, a single name flashed through Xiao Rong’s mind: Wang Jie.

It was Wang Jie who had once ignited his hope of returning to Lock Path Interval, promising he would never be forced onto the battlefield again and could retire in peace. Xiao Rong had eagerly rushed back, only to find Wang Jie’s mysterious methods had somehow thrown him back onto the battlefield.

Not even the Silver Sand Battlefield he’d known before, but this dreadful place—the First Main Battlefield, from which there was no return.

[Who did I offend? No one. I was simply used, and even then, not successfully.]

[What rotten luck.]

[Wang Jie. It’s all because of him that I’m trapped here now.]

Xiao Rong gritted his teeth in resentment at the mere thought of him.

“Brother Xiao, look—he’s yelling at someone again.”

Xiao Rong glanced over.

In the distance, Fang He was furiously berating a disciple, whose face was deathly pale, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth—whether due to enemy attack or Fang He’s fury, Xiao Rong couldn’t say.

Vaguely, he heard Fang He angrily shouting about treachery.

Xiao Rong smiled bitterly. [Treachery? This is a battlefield, a war. What’s fair about war? This Six Dao Wanderer is far too naive. Did he think the enemy would politely face him head-on? They wouldn’t even give you a chance.]

[How blind I was, following such a man.]

He gazed upward into the endless fog. [This time, I truly might leave my life behind.]

Outside the planet, a fragment of another world drifted slowly closer. More than a hundred thousand cultivators stood silently upon its surface, barely daring to breathe, terrified of attracting attention.

But they didn’t know their every move was already watched.

Two figures observed them from afar—a man and a woman.

The man was Luo Kui, one of the Three Blades of Blade Gate.

The woman, Hou Xiao, gazed at Luo Kui admiringly, “Senior Brother truly is incredible. You were certain they’d come rescue Fang He.”

Luo Kui sneered, “Fang He is one of Black White Heaven’s Six Dao Wanderers. How could they not attempt a rescue? This place is clearly a trap, yet openly laid. Even knowing the truth, what can they do? They’ll still obediently come to die.”

“I used this same method to kill a Hundred Star Realm expert back in Haoqian Domain. It never fails.”

“War isn’t only about slaughter—it’s also about strategy.”