Chapter 269
Chapter 269: Healing
Wang Jie understood now.
This was his first time witnessing a battle between Star Refining Realm experts. The grandeur of it was something he’d only glimpsed briefly before.
Star refining, refining oneself into a star—this allowed direct absorption of the universe’s starforce, just like an actual planet.
Every attack by a Star Refining Realm cultivator altered the fabric of the cosmos itself.
Huge cracks split open in the void like yawning abysses, appearing endlessly. Against such heaven-defying battles, even a Hundred Star Realm expert rushing in would vanish without a trace.
This battle lasted for days.
Finally, Zhi Ye withdrew, and the three Star Refining experts opposing him also retreated.
“Brother Zhi Ye, your strength goes beyond this, doesn’t it? Why conceal yourself until now?” Han Heng asked with curiosity.
Across from him, Zhi Ye merely shrugged: “Your strength isn’t limited to this either. Why not let those fellows behind you step out already? Is hiding until now really so amusing?”
Han Heng laughed softly: “Then what about your side? You arrived long ago but waited, hoping we’d make the first move so you could counterattack.”
These words spread across the starry sky.
Wang Jie turned, startled. [Arrived long ago?]
Tong Shou and Shuang Jin’s gazes sharpened. “Since everyone’s already here, why not come out? Let’s see who else has joined this battle.”
Han Heng nodded calmly: “Very well.”
As his voice faded, a massive figure emerged behind him, becoming clearer before countless eyes.
Wang Jie’s eyes widened in shock. [Is that—a skeleton?]
He saw a giant skeleton slowly step out, bound to a smaller human figure. The skeleton towered several times taller than the person attached to it. The skeletal hand held a sword, as did the human beneath it.
[What on earth is this?]
Next to the skeleton, an immense Heaven Thunder appeared, connecting heaven and earth. Wang Jie had never seen such an enormous Heaven Thunder before.
Though Thunder Well had countless Heaven Thunders, they were always separate strikes.
But this Heaven Thunder seemed formed by countless bolts fused together, creating a path of thunder.
From within the thunder stepped a fearsome Thunder Roar Hound. Its terrifying aura shook the cosmos as it let out a sky-rending howl.
Black Realm Lord exclaimed in amazement: “White Bone Sword Lord and Lian Lei Huang—truly ruthless.” After speaking, he glanced toward another direction, where two more figures appeared. “You two spend years in the Wuchen Domain and Yunxi Domain, yet you didn’t return there at this moment. Quite the gathering—seven Star Refining Realm experts. It hasn’t been this lively in a long time.”
Han Heng gazed across: “And your side? Which experts have joined you?”
Everyone turned their eyes.
Wang Jie lifted his head, seeing an elderly figure in white robes emerge from the void. His face was rosy, bearing a kindly expression, though his smile held a hint of bitterness.
“I didn’t expect seven Star Refining Realm experts. Had I known, this old man wouldn’t have come,” he sighed softly.
Han Heng stared, astonished: “Grandmaster Qi? The renowned Alchemy Heavenly Master from the Galaxy Combat Equipment Company of Big Dipper Bridge Pillar Galaxy? You’re joining the battle?”
Grandmaster Qi shook his head helplessly: “I thought it would be like before—just for show. But this time seems very different.”
Shuang Jin frowned slightly. Grandmaster Qi was not known for combat prowess.
With seven Star Refining experts across from them, the situation looked dire.
At that moment, another shadow slowly appeared from the void, astonishing everyone who saw it.
It wasn’t a person or a beast—but rather, a single written character.
The character read “?”—Illusion.
Wang Jie stared in wonder. [What is that? A star artifact?]
“No way… could it truly be him?” Han Ling whispered in shock.
Wang Jie asked curiously: “Who?”
From the starry sky, Han Heng’s deep, solemn voice rang out: “Gu Xun Yi—known as the Scholar Who Exhausted Mortal Dust—I never imagined it would be you.”
These words stunned the other Star Refining Realm experts beside him.
On Black White Heaven’s side, Shuang Jin finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhi Ye smiled warmly at the character: “My thanks to senior for your assistance.”
Wang Jie noticed the sudden changes in everyone’s expression. He looked again at the written character. [This senior must be incredibly powerful.]
Han Ling whispered quietly: “That’s Senior Gu Xun Yi, the peerless master of the Second Star Cloud’s Illusion Realm Sect, known as the strongest Star Refining Realm expert in the Second Star Cloud, throughout all history.”
Wang Jie was astonished: “The strongest in history?”
Han Ling nodded gravely: “Even the First Star Cloud acknowledged that title. Among all Star Refining Realm experts throughout history in the Second Star Cloud, none surpassed him.”
“Long ago, to cultivate, he exhausted his worldly ties and destroyed his own eyes. Using his own blood, he wrote a single character—‘Illusion’—and entered it himself. From then onward, the man was the character, and the character was the man. He transcended mortal flesh, beyond any normal comprehension.”
“I thought these stories were merely legends, but they’re real.”
Wang Jie looked again at the character, his gaze shifting profoundly. No wonder the Edge Sect’s Star Refining experts were so shaken.
Even if he was from the Second Star Cloud, the title “strongest ever” was terrifying enough.
Han Heng smiled bitterly: “With Senior Gu here, this fight won’t be easy.”
“Why not give it a try? Perhaps Senior Gu isn’t as powerful as you think,” Zhi Ye replied cheerfully.
Suddenly, Lian Lei Huang roared, sending forth a colossal Heaven Thunder toward Gu Xun Yi.
The immense Heaven Thunder surged forth violently but vanished entirely as it approached the written character. Immediately afterward, the character itself disappeared.
When it appeared again, it hovered above Lian Lei Huang and swept downward. Lian Lei Huang—vanished.
Han Heng’s expression changed drastically as he swung his sword fiercely.
But the character disappeared again, evading the sword. It then swept across the void, instantly enveloping both the White Bone Sword Lord and his Sword Ghost. Both vanished instantly.
Three Star Refining Realm experts disappeared in a blink, leaving everyone who witnessed this horrified beyond words.
Han Heng’s face turned grim, desperately searching for Gu Xun Yi, yet finding no trace.
Shuang Jin burst forward without hesitation; Gu Xun Yi had already led away three Star Refining Realm experts, leaving the rest for them to swiftly handle.
The Star Refining Realm cultivators moved their battlefield elsewhere.
Below, countless cultivators from Edge Sect surged forward.
Wang Jie glanced behind him, feeling countless energies approaching—so dense he didn’t even need a star disk to sense them.
Warships appeared from the rear, reinforcements from Big Dipper Bridge Pillar.
War ignited once more.
One figure shot out alone from a battleship, rushing toward Edge Sect like someone seeking death.
In the next moment, Wang Jie’s mouth fell open in shock: [He can do this?]
Endless blades of energy erupted from that person’s body, slicing directly into the enemy formation, cutting down a large swath instantly.
Han Ling’s eyes brightened as he exclaimed excitedly: “That’s Yan Hui Xue from Ornate Jade Gate, a Hundred-Star Realm expert with body-tempering blade arts! Our elite reinforcements have arrived. Junior Brother Wang, let’s go!” Without waiting for a reply, he dashed straight into battle.
Heaven and earth filled with warriors from both sides.
Countless allies rushed past Wang Jie, charging towards Edge Sect.
Swept up by their momentum, Wang Jie unconsciously moved forward as well, but stopped after just a few steps—Fang He was staring directly at him. And Han Ling had vanished?
Fang He lunged forward with a sinister grin.
Wang Jie clenched his teeth. [I can’t retreat now, or else…] Just as he thought this, a familiar zither melody suddenly resounded behind him.
He turned around, startled: [Su Su?]
Behind him, Su Su gazed coldly toward Fang He, saying, “Who would have thought a Six Dao Wanderer of Black White Heaven could become a traitor? I’ll help them clean you up.”
Fang He raised his blade, slicing apart her Eight Melodies, Eight Extinctions technique, glaring fiercely at Su Su: “Get lost, I only want Wang Jie dead.”
Su Su paused her zither melody, puzzled: [Who?]
Following Fang He’s gaze, her eyes landed on Wang Jie.
Wang Jie met her eyes, feeling quite awkward.
Who could imagine an enemy from the Yin Yang Battlefield would now fight beside him? [How did this woman end up here?]
Su Su stared at Wang Jie, her expression complex.
[It’s him—that bastard who disguised himself as a woman.]
“You! You’re actually here?” Su Su ground her teeth in fury.
Wang Jie replied helplessly, “How about we fight the enemy first?”
Su Su hugged her zither tightly and turned to leave. [Enemy? What enemy? None of my business.]
Wang Jie’s expression instantly darkened.
Fang He immediately attacked again.
Just then, a fierce shout echoed: “Fang He, do you remember me?”
Wang Jie turned quickly, seeing Yue Bai approach. [Another familiar face.]
Fang He glanced coldly at Yue Bai, snapping, “Scram.”
Yue Bai sneered confidently, “You defeated me once. This time, I’ll return the favor!” With a wave of his hand, tens of thousands of disciples from Shield Mountain Peak surged forward, activating their Heavenly Vein Shield Lock around Fang He.
Wang Jie felt speechless: [Is this your idea of a rematch—a gang fight?]
But this was his chance. Without hesitation, Wang Jie fled immediately, glad someone else was dealing with Fang He.
Fang He roared in fury, yet Shield Mountain Peak’s defenses weren’t easily breached.
Though Yue Bai alone wasn’t Fang He’s match, with such a powerful defensive formation, breaking through quickly was impossible.
From the skies, countless arrows rained down upon distant enemies, courtesy of Falling Bow Hall.
Immediately afterward, soldiers from Gong Nation rushed out like a tidal wave.
Life truly was unpredictable. Just recently, these were enemies. Now they fought shoulder to shoulder. The battlefield felt like a cruel joke to Wang Jie.
[Fight then,] he thought bitterly.
As more reinforcements poured in, the battle escalated dramatically. Countless corpses drifted in the starry void.
The battlefield was chaos everywhere.
Su Su found herself facing a strange, grotesque woman whose sword strikes echoed with mournful wails, forcing Su Su into weary defense.
Edge Sect indeed had many experts rivaling the Six Dao Wanderer realm.
Wang Jie even saw another of Blade Gate’s Three Blades—Fei Qiu Yun, known as the Snow Petal Sword Maiden. Each graceful strike brimmed with deadly beauty, even more captivating amidst blood and flames.
He wisely kept his distance from her.
Right now, he had no intention of getting entangled in battles at the Six Dao Wanderer level.
After more than ten exhausting days, the battle finally ceased.
Both sides retreated, leaving innumerable bodies floating lifelessly in the void.
Wang Jie glanced toward the distant enemy ranks. During the fight, Hou Xiao had warned him to steer clear of certain powerful foes—if killed by them, nobody would even notice.
After Fang He finally escaped Shield Mountain Peak, Qing Xiao immediately targeted him.
Qing Xiao, a disciple from Void Mountain Range, astonished Wang Jie during the battle at the Void Harbor.
Fang He had barely survived their clash.
Even mighty Six Dao Wanderers had to remain cautious here—hidden masters appeared at every turn.
The battle concluded.
Countless wounded headed straight to Flower Nation for healing, and Wang Jie joined them.
Though Flower Nation belonged to the Second Star Cloud, even First Star Cloud cultivators treated them politely.
Yet Flower Nation had sent only a dozen or so cultivators.
Indeed, in this vast war, Flower Nation had fewer warriors than on the Yin Yang Battlefield. But no one dared complain.
Wang Jie watched uneasily as a lazy-looking young girl yawned, then fiercely struck a wounded cultivator’s chest. Her casual attack appeared even more vicious than actual combat.
The wounded man shuddered violently, coldness seeping out from where she struck. His already pale face turned even paler.
Then came something even more brutal.
Another woman from Flower Nation plunged her knife directly into the cultivator’s chest, carving out pieces of ice no bigger than fingernails, piece by agonizing piece. At first, the man endured bravely, but soon he could only scream in agony.
Those lined up for healing instinctively retreated at the horrific sight. [This is worse than killing!]
Wang Jie’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. [Is this supposed to be healing? It looks more like torture.] The psychological trauma alone was overwhelming.