Chapter 272

Chapter 272: Stream

Wang Jie stared at him, preparing to strike, but a flash of sword-light swept forward, forcing him back—it was Luo Kui.

Luo Kui stood protectively in front of the titan wolf, not even turning his head as he spoke softly, “You should go back first. It’ll be dangerous if they spot you.”

The beast growled unhappily.

Luo Kui’s voice deepened, “This is enemy territory, after all. You wouldn’t want to get caught either. There are many Hundred Star Realm cultivators among the enemy.”

With another reluctant growl, the titan wolf turned its gaze toward Wang Jie, eyes filled with provocation, then turned around and dashed through the opening in the trees, disappearing from sight.

Wang Jie looked at Luo Kui, asking, “What was that thing?”

Luo Kui swung his sword. Wang Jie quickly raised his own to block, and with a resounding clang, both men plunged simultaneously into a meteorite.

“Find Grandmaster Qi’s trail for me,” Luo Kui said.

“He’s already escaped.”

“It can’t be that simple,” Luo Kui replied solemnly. “Something feels wrong.” As he spoke, he sliced upward, splitting the meteorite, and with one palm, struck Wang Jie’s shoulder, knocking him backward.

Wang Jie took advantage of the blow’s momentum, flying out from the meteorite and crashing into another nearby.

Luo Kui leaped out without a backward glance, disappearing swiftly through the gap in the trees.

Wang Jie clutched his aching shoulder, [That guy really shows no mercy.]

At this moment, his personal terminal beeped; it was time for his rest again. This time, he deliberately chose treatment from Flower Country.

In such a brutal battlefield, returning without injuries would appear suspicious.

He grimaced as Wei Ke Ke pressed a palm to his shoulder, freezing Luo Kui’s residual Star Force within. Flesh tore open painfully as the frozen mass was dug out.

Wang Jie didn’t want to endure this again.

It hurt.

It was almost as painful as bone tempering.

Returning to the battleship, Wang Jie saw many cultivators quietly resting in corners. Some had private rooms—those were Wandering Star Realm cultivators. Though Wang Jie possessed great battle power, he was still not officially a Wandering Star Realm cultivator, so no special accommodations were made for him.

Then, he noticed the elder again.

The elder seemed to remain stationed here specifically at the rear lines.

A short while later, someone limped back, greeting the elder respectfully. The elder smiled appreciatively, chatted briefly, and sent the person away.

Wang Jie’s eyes narrowed, recognizing this man—a traitor.

He had recorded this aura back at Edge Sect.

He began closely observing this man, noticing how actively he inquired about the Galaxy Combat Equipment Company. For a Black White Heaven cultivator, curiosity about the first star cloud wasn’t unusual. But on a dangerous battlefield, such persistent questioning seemed suspiciously excessive.

Here, survival was everyone’s first priority.

This traitor was obviously seeking information about Grandmaster Qi’s whereabouts.

Edge Sect surely hadn’t sent only him to investigate this matter. If it weren’t incredibly important, even Luo Kui wouldn’t bother to interact with him.

“Chaotic Blade has also been transferred elsewhere.”

“Really? He’s a powerhouse from Galaxy Combat Equipment Company! I heard he defeated Han Ling’s senior brother from Six Dao Wanderer in just one strike during the sect tournament. Where was he sent?”

“How should I know?”

“I heard it’s not just Chaotic Blade; Han Ling’s senior brother was also moved.”

“And Su Su from Phoenix Cry Hall.”

“Anyway, many people were transferred.”

Wang Jie overheard their conversation and realized that he hadn’t seen these individuals recently. [Where had they been sent?]

The traitor’s eyes flickered anxiously as he hurriedly gathered information. Soon after, he seemed to get the answer and quickly departed. Wang Jie decided to pursue and eliminate him; after all, a traitor shouldn’t be allowed to cause damage here.

But as Wang Jie followed, the man vanished without a trace.

After brief contemplation, Wang Jie discreetly informed the elder of the man’s betrayal. Although such a traitor was unlikely to influence the entire battle or truly locate Grandmaster Qi, it was safer this way.

After resting for a while, Wang Jie returned to the battlefield.

Far away in the depths of starry space, sword formations continuously streaked across the void. Trees shattered constantly, but new ones rapidly took their place. It appeared both sides were endlessly sacrificing their people without significant gain.

But that was war.

Suddenly, a sword formation roared through the trees, heading directly toward the rear of Black White Heaven’s forces. Defensive attacks along its path failed to intercept it, revealing a strength surpassing a normal sword formation. It pierced straight through a battleship, embedding itself within another behind.

Wang Jie glanced back, relieved he had returned to battle; that battleship was precisely next to where he’d rested earlier. The sword formation surely concealed a Hundred Star Realm cultivator. Once they struck, the nearby ships couldn’t possibly survive.

Now, everything depended on whether the Hundred Star Realm cultivators who once targeted him could withstand this threat.

Within the distant battleship, the five Edge Sect disciples forming the sword formation dispersed, revealing an elderly woman standing calmly at the center. Over a dozen swords floated ominously around her. With a casual wave, the swords shot out, slaughtering every enemy in sight.

In mere moments, the area was cleared; no one remained.

Just as she was about to utterly destroy the battleship, a gentle female voice spoke softly, “Pardon me, but could you please not disturb me?”

The old woman turned toward the speaker. Her fierce gaze, previously brimming with murderous intent, strangely softened upon meeting the woman’s serene smile. The five Edge Sect cultivators around her lost the strength in their hands, dropping their swords helplessly to the floor with clattering echoes, yet unable to move.

Step by step, the gentle woman approached the old woman.

The old woman fixed her gaze upon the young lady, star force surging around her like countless stars spinning fiercely. It was a breathtaking sight, the release of power from absorbing a hundred stars. She was making her move. Yet, no matter how fiercely she released her star force, not even a ripple stirred around her.

Not even the dust upon the ground trembled.

Calmly, the young lady approached the old woman, standing before her. Their eyes met, and the lady offered a gentle smile, saying softly, “Thank you.” As she spoke, she raised a slender, pale finger and touched it gently upon the old woman’s forehead. A flash of black light, swift as a shooting star across the night sky, vanished instantly. When the darkness faded, the old woman was gone without a trace, as if she had never existed at all.

In the next moment, the Hundred Star Realm elder rushed inside, his expression grave. He had expected a fierce battle, believing powerful foes from the Hundred Star Realm had invaded.

Instead, he found five Edge Sect cultivators: two at Wandering Star Realm and three merely at Full Star Realm.

[How strange! How did these five manage to break through the tree formation and our defensive net? And who is this woman?]

Turning gracefully, the young lady bowed slightly, greeting him respectfully, “Junior Xi Liu of Armor One Sect greets senior elder of Black White Heaven.”

In the elder’s eyes, this scene was beyond strange.

The lady was surrounded by five enemies, yet she offered her greeting with a graceful calmness, while the five enemies stood frozen, stunned as if caught in a dream.

Just as the five were about to speak, the lady moved, leaving a faint white shadow where she stood. Before anyone could react, she reappeared right in front of the elder. Behind her, the five enemies’ eyes flickered briefly before they collapsed to the ground, life fading from their bodies.

The elder was shocked. [Such swift movements! Such deadly skills! And Xi Liu?]

“Senior,” Xi Liu smiled gently toward him, “everything here is resolved.”

With admiration, the elder nodded appreciatively, “Truly worthy of being an elite disciple of Armor One Sect. I am deeply impressed.”

Xi Liu’s smile deepened, “To receive senior’s praise is this junior’s honor. My thanks, senior.”

With another nod, the elder departed.

He felt distinctly uneasy around her, though her courtesy was sincere and impeccable. When conversing with her, he experienced an inexplicable sense of humility, as if looking upward. Yet clearly, she had not yet reached the Hundred Star Realm. Why would he feel this way?

This strange sensation made him instinctively distance himself from her.

Xi Liu watched as the elder left. Her gaze then turned to a distant battlefield, falling upon a familiar figure. [Blue Star’s Wang Jie. It’s been a long time. So you really have mastered the Starry Finger.]

On the battlefield, Wang Jie noticed that although the fighting was still fierce, the pressure had eased considerably. The powerful masters who once densely populated the battlefield—the Wandering Star Realm experts who constantly flickered across space—had vanished.

Though enemies still abounded, even the sword formations hurled their way had diminished greatly.

Their own side was similarly reduced. Those familiar masters he expected to see were nowhere in sight. Recalling rumors he’d overheard in the warship, Wang Jie wondered: [Could it be the battlefield shifted elsewhere?]

Bearing this thought, he constantly monitored his surroundings with his star disk, closely observing the warship behind him.

Time passed steadily.

Several days later, the situation changed abruptly. The tree formations swiftly withdrew. Deeply unsettled, Wang Jie immediately clung to one of the great trees, retreating along with the formation.

Suddenly, from afar, a massive bolt of heaven thunder, surpassing even Lian Lei Huang’s strongest technique, lit up the distant horizon. The thunder twisted around itself like two enormous serpentine dragons connecting heaven and earth.

Wang Jie stared into the distance, heart pounding in shock. [What is that?]

[That direction—could it be Thunder Well?]

In the next instant, the enormous heaven thunder surged forward, sweeping directly toward the Edge Sect’s forces, annihilating everything in its path.

Watching the overwhelming force approach, Wang Jie felt his scalp prickle in fear.

Fortunately, the immense thunder passed overhead, sweeping directly toward the enemy. Had he not retreated with the tree formation, this thunder alone would have swallowed him whole.

The devastating heaven thunder struck fiercely into the distance, inflicting enormous damage upon the Edge Sect.

Even Hundred Star Realm masters couldn’t withstand such power.

Many, like Wang Jie, clung tightly to the retreating trees. Those who survived until now on the battlefield were indeed clever.

The tree formations finally withdrew back to the warship in the rear.

At this moment, no one questioned Wang Jie and the others for abandoning the frontlines. Staying would have meant certain death.

They hadn’t been ordered to retreat to maintain deception.

To survive on a battlefield required not only strength and luck but intelligence as well.

In the sky above, figures appeared—the Hundred Star Realm masters, having retreated at the final moment.

Wang Jie recognized someone among them: Cold Domain Master Zhu Cheng, the traitor from Frost Radiance Sect.

Zhu Cheng was staring off into the distance when he suddenly felt Wang Jie’s gaze. Turning sharply, his face paled slightly as their eyes met.

Unfazed at being noticed, Wang Jie simply raised an eyebrow and looked away casually.

Zhu Cheng stared intently, [Why is this person here?]

With this thought, he immediately moved toward Wang Jie.

“Are you Star Refinement Master Wang?” Zhu Cheng asked hesitantly, still uncertain.

Wang Jie turned to him calmly, “It’s been a long time, Cold Domain Master.”

Zhu Cheng’s eyes widened in shock, “It really is you? Why are you here?”

Wang Jie shrugged lightly, “Just a coincidence. But shouldn’t Cold Domain Master be living comfortably? Why have you come to reinforce here? This isn’t a good place to be.”

Zhu Cheng’s gaze sharpened, “Are you here as reinforcements too?”

“I’m just a Lock Force cultivator. I wouldn’t call myself reinforcement,” Wang Jie replied.

Before Zhu Cheng could speak again, the massive heaven thunder in the distance gradually faded. Zhu Cheng glanced back at it, then gave Wang Jie one final look before leaping away swiftly.

The great tree beneath Wang Jie also surged forward, carrying countless cultivators back toward the distant battlefield.

The heaven thunder had severely weakened the Edge Sect forces.

They’d truly suffered crippling losses.

At this moment, Grandmaster Qi, who had earlier retreated from battle, suddenly reappeared. In a flash, he once again entered the fray.