Chapter 256
Chapter 256: Captured
Luo Kui lifted his sword high and brought it slashing down.
The thunder pattern had already shattered, leaving Wang Jie no choice but to dodge. Luo Kui hovered above, attacking with pure, overwhelming force. It didn’t matter what techniques Wang Jie possessed; under absolute power, they meant nothing.
The Body Protection Pill’s shield collapsed at a single touch.
No matter how fast he moved, as long as he couldn’t escape this planet, he would inevitably be caught.
Under Luo Kui’s ruthless strikes, the shattered planetary fragment beneath their feet broke apart as easily as paper.
Wang Jie had no chance to counterattack at all.
Blood spewed from his mouth as sword qi pierced into his body. Fortunately, his defensive qi resisted just enough.
Luo Kui was astonished. [This man cultivated internal qi? Is there anyone from Black White Heaven who still practices such methods? Interesting indeed.] His thoughts turned swiftly. He descended, twisting his body to unleash a horizontal strike.
Wang Jie seized the moment Luo Kui descended to launch his counterattack.
Luo Kui sneered coldly. [The difference between us is a vast chasm, yet he still dares to strike back?]
A sharp clash rang out as Wang Jie raised his wristguard to block the blade. Instantly, the bones in his left arm shattered. His body paused briefly, yet he forced his hand up, pointing outward. The Starry Finger erupted, a thousand shadows blending into one.
Luo Kui tightened his grip and swept his sword sideways.
He brutally broke through the Starry Finger from its flank.
Wang Jie had never seen his Starry Finger defeated so easily. He swiftly retreated using the Armor Eight Steps. Luo Kui’s blade struck downward again, star force spreading rapidly from the sword, enveloping the entire planetary fragment in an instant, flattening it like an immense grinding wheel.
No matter where Wang Jie fled, the crushing force instantly overtook him. Blood spilled from his mouth once more.
At the same moment, fierce sword qi sliced downward, repeatedly striking his Cloudthread Robes.
The Cloudthread Robes could withstand the direct strikes, but not the tremendous force transmitted through them. Wang Jie felt as if his organs had shattered; his entire body seemed ready to collapse.
A debt slip—Qing Feng, Unreturning Guest.
Luo Kui withdrew his blade and stepped forward, appearing right in front of Wang Jie. The Elder had ordered him to capture, not kill. Now was about the right moment.
The sword hilt thrust toward Wang Jie’s chest.
Suddenly, another light collision sounded. Wang Jie forcibly lifted his left arm using Bone Motion Art, blocking the strike again with his wristguard. As the force hurled him backward, he spun around and grasped his sword. Three strikes overlapped: the Sword Rain Technique.
Countless droplets filled the heavens instantly, transforming into innumerable strands of sword qi slashing toward Luo Kui.
Luo Kui was startled. [He can still counterattack? This sword style isn’t bad.]
He raised his arm, casually spinning the sword to block every strand of sword qi. Then he swept horizontally toward Wang Jie once more. Wang Jie sensed an unexpected surge of strength from within—power drawn from the debt slip. Using this borrowed force, he merged qi with qi, his eyes fixed firmly on Luo Kui, pointing out a single finger.
All his gathered strength exploded at once.
It aimed directly at Luo Kui’s right elbow, precisely where the connection of internal qi and sword qi flowed.
Under this finger strike, thousands of finger shadows merged with the overwhelming Sword Rain Technique. Luo Kui had already regarded Wang Jie highly, since he had survived so long beneath his attacks. Yet Luo Kui realized too late that he had still underestimated his opponent. Unable to retract his sword in time, Luo Kui’s elbow was pierced, numbing his arm instantly. Blood surged out as his qi abruptly dispersed, and his sword slipped from his grasp, falling to the ground.
Seizing this chance, Wang Jie pushed off with Sword Step, dashing away instantly.
Luo Kui stared in shock at his fallen sword. [This mere Star Breaking realm cultivator of lock force actually knocked away my sword?]
He attempted to grip the sword again, but his pierced elbow refused to move.
He could only use his left hand.
In that brief delay, Wang Jie had already raced to the edge of the planetary fragment. Luo Kui’s expression darkened. He raised his sword and unleashed a strike—its name: Thoughtless.
His name was Luo Kui, Lone Shadow Beneath the Moon, and his sword technique was called Thoughtless.
Wang Jie had just rushed beyond the fragment, propelled by momentum toward distant planetary debris, where reinforcements from Black White Heaven were already visible. Yet from behind, a sword strike descended. Turning back, Wang Jie’s eyes widened. [What kind of technique is this? Sword qi without a physical form, only serene moonlight.] All he could do was raise his wristguard once again.
A sharp sound pierced his ears, and Wang Jie was hurled down into Cloudstream with a splash.
Many eyes witnessed this scene.
Both the forces of Black White Heaven and those of Edge Sect saw clearly.
Luo Kui lowered his sword with a frown. [I was careless. How could I have been wounded by this person, so angered that I struck recklessly? Elder clearly said to capture him. What a shame.]
Falling into Cloudstream meant certain death.
Now he had to consider how to explain to the Elder. And his injury—he glanced at his elbow—he couldn’t let anyone see that wound; it would be humiliating.
Cloudstream swallowed all who entered.
Even a Hundred Star Realm cultivator who fell in would be plunged into an endless abyss.
When Wang Jie plunged into Cloudstream, it felt as though a million mountains pressed upon him, dragging him deeper. In desperation, his only instinct was to pull out the small boat he’d obtained from the Knowledge Repository—like treating a dead horse as if it could still run.
As soon as the boat appeared, it carried him upward, quickly floating to the surface.
As he broke through the water, he gasped for breath, never before feeling how beautiful the outside world could be. Within Cloudstream, he had felt like a drowning mortal, crushed by suffocating spatial pressure—it was terrifying.
The war was still ongoing.
He scrambled onto the boat and paddled to the farthest edge of the planetary fragment, praying that no one noticed him. The battle lay in the opposite direction—he must not return there. Luo Kui aside, even Fang He would surely strike him without hesitation.
No one would give him a chance to speak.
His injuries were severe. All he could do was endure the pain, paddle frantically, and pray he remained unseen, hidden from the battle.
Fortunately, the mist thickened around him. After paddling a short distance, he disappeared completely from sight.
Wang Jie collapsed into the boat and swallowed another Revive Pill. He glanced at his arm—his entire left side was completely numb. Every strike of sword qi had landed there, yet surprisingly, his wristguard remained undamaged.
Luo Kui’s combat power far exceeded his own. He had simply relied on overwhelming star force and sword qi without needing any special skills.
But that final strike must have resulted from his anger—an actual martial technique unleashed in his rage.
Cloud-thread Robes were intact, after all—they were crafted from eighth-grade materials—but the wounds inside him were severe. Waves of weakness swept through him. He couldn’t sleep—he absolutely couldn’t sleep.
Wang Jie fought hard against the darkness pulling him under, continuously paddling his boat. He lost track of time until he finally spotted a small fragment of a planet. He landed quickly, hiding his boat within a valley before collapsing completely.
He didn’t know how long he lay unconscious.
Something was crawling across his body. Wang Jie’s eyes snapped open. A rat was scurrying over him.
Seeing him move, the rat dashed away quickly.
Struggling, he sat up, leaning against a rock and breathing heavily. Blood crusted his skin, flakes scattered on the ground around him.
He raised his head to the sky but saw nothing.
Taking out his star disk, he infused it with qi to scan the surroundings. His gaze sharpened immediately. There were people nearby, though he couldn’t tell if they belonged to Edge Sect or Black White Heaven. Judging from their qi fluctuations, someone among them was even in the Wandering Star Realm.
His personal terminal was useless now.
Wang Jie buried the blood flakes on the ground, covering all traces to hide himself as best as he could.
He hid for two days until the time for his exercises arrived.
Swallowing a Revive Pill, he began his movements.
As the wristguard released a warm flow of energy, sensation returned to his entire body, knitting his shattered limbs back together. It was itchy, a sensation he’d endured many times before. But this time, after finishing, his strength actually increased.
Wang Jie smiled bitterly.
[Indeed, only experiences at death’s doorstep could bring such gains.]
Increased strength meant his combat abilities had improved. If he could reach the limit of the Star Breaking Realm, perhaps he’d have a chance against Six Dao Wanderer and the Three Blades of Blade Gate.
Yet he was still far away from that level.
Just as it had been when he first fought Shu Mu Night.
Though Shu Mu Night had faced him at equal cultivation.
After finishing his exercises, Wang Jie’s injuries healed significantly, and his strength rose. Straightening out his Cloud-thread Robes, he decided to scout the identities of the people nearby.
He stepped out carefully, following the star disk’s guidance.
Not long afterward, he spotted them.
They were from Edge Sect.
They all wielded swords, and from the flow of qi alone, Wang Jie knew at a glance. On the battlefield, cultivators from Black White Heaven sometimes disguised themselves as Edge Sect members. They could copy clothes and weapons, but not their qi.
Those who didn’t truly practice the sword would never fully channel their qi into it.
All these people channeled qi into their swords—they undoubtedly belonged to Edge Sect.
One disciple asked impatiently, “Senior Brother, when will they arrive?”
Another replied lazily, “Who knows? Why hurry?”
“After the great battle a few days ago, Black White Heaven suffered heavy losses. This is the perfect chance to claim battle merit.”
“Just wait. They’ll arrive soon. I’ve heard even a Hundred Star Elder is coming.”
Hearing that, Wang Jie quietly retreated. Edge Sect was gathering reinforcements here, including a Hundred Star Realm expert. It wasn’t safe. He pondered briefly, then returned to the planet fragment’s edge, pulling out his boat and covering it carefully with large stones—not to weigh it down, but to disguise it. If anyone saw him cross the Cloud Stream safely in a boat, it would be trouble.
Everyone knew that the Cloud Stream was impassable; any who entered it died.
If others learned that he had a boat capable of crossing safely, he’d never find peace again.
After some quick camouflage, he boarded and paddled away.
Leaving was dangerous, but remaining would be fatal. A Hundred Star expert could easily sense him.
Yet, he hadn’t gone far before someone appeared, stepping through the air toward him.
A Wandering Star Realm cultivator!
Wang Jie’s expression changed drastically. He hurriedly turned back.
“Who goes there?” the cultivator shouted fiercely from above.
With bitterness in his heart, Wang Jie turned and instantly launched a Luo Xuan Finger strike. The Air Severing qi burst forth with enormous force. The Wandering Star cultivator raised his sword to block, but was violently thrown back by the finger’s power.
Using this moment, Wang Jie quickly returned to the planet fragment, hiding his boat and fleeing again.
The commotion quickly attracted the attention of others.
Soon, the entire fragment was being searched. Wang Jie had considered grabbing an Edge Sect member and disguising himself using the Nine Form Diagram, but never had the chance. He could disguise himself as Cang Wu, but that would be even more dangerous.
Cang Wu wasn’t from Edge Sect. The Edge Sect cultivators would kill him without hesitation.
Either way, the outcome would be the same.
Although the planet fragment was as large as a continent on Blue Star, it wasn’t large enough to evade determined cultivators for long.
And when Wang Jie finally came face-to-face with Luo Kui, it felt as if he had run straight into a dead end.
Luo Kui was equally stunned upon seeing him. “You? You’re actually still alive?”
Wang Jie could only reply helplessly, “By luck.”
“Senior Brother Luo knows this person?” a nearby Wandering Star Realm disciple asked curiously.
Luo Kui stared deeply at Wang Jie before finally deciding, “I’m withdrawing from this mission. I’ll take him away. Continue without me.” Without another word, he grabbed Wang Jie and left swiftly.
Wang Jie didn’t resist—there were too many Edge Sect members nearby, and Luo Kui alone was too strong for him anyway.
He knew Luo Kui didn’t intend to kill him, having sensed that much during their previous battle.
It probably had something to do with his ability to break Luo Kui’s formation.
Luo Kui carried Wang Jie, streaking across the sky towards the core territory of Edge Sect. Neither said a word along the journey; Wang Jie remained quiet, letting himself be carried along.
Eventually, they arrived at the Edge Sect’s central region.
They were now moving further and further away from Black White Heaven’s center, passing each other by like ships in the night.