Chapter 274
Chapter 274: Reappearance
The man spun around swiftly, swallowing something as a protective aura surged over his body. At the same moment, he hurled countless dagger-like weapons. Each dagger gleamed wickedly sharp, their edges smeared with deadly poison. Wang Jie instantly countered with a thunder pattern, the rain spreading wide around him—Sword Rain Technique.
The enemy’s Starforce was continuously shredded by the Sword Qi, cracks forming rapidly across his shield.
“You won’t take my life that easily,” the man growled, readying another attack. However, Wang Jie suddenly evaded with a swift Armor Eight Steps. Above, Starry Finger Technique shadows descended, striking precisely upon the enemy’s crown, instantly scattering his Starforce. The finger strike penetrated straight into his skull, smashing him into a nearby meteorite, killing him outright.
Wang Jie exhaled slowly, eyes glancing at the fallen enemy. This opponent’s power was nearly four hundred thousand—not easy at all.
Stepping back, Wang Jie had no intention of becoming a target, especially with Fang He’s gaze constantly fixed upon him.
Now, there was no chance for a break; everyone around him was locked in intense, desperate combat.
Eventually, Fang He shattered Yue Bai’s defenses, sending him plummeting, his life or death unknown. Without hesitation, Fang He charged straight toward Wang Jie.
Wang Jie felt a pang of headache—this man truly despised him to the bone.
[Could it be that Luo Kui and the others never intended to stop Fang He from coming after me?]
Wang Jie sighed deeply. Retreating now would seem like fleeing from battle. Even though he knew he couldn’t defeat Fang He, he wouldn’t lose easily either.
His eyes quickly scanned the battlefield, noting everyone’s positions. He planned to lure Fang He towards other battles—perhaps Luo Kui or Hou Xiao.
As he contemplated his next move, Wang Jie’s pupils suddenly contracted. It was as if he’d seen something impossible.
Fang He, originally charging toward Wang Jie, abruptly halted, his entire body freezing in terror. Slowly turning around, he saw two figures who had silently appeared nearby. They were pure white, their translucent skin shimmering faintly with starlight, their bones clearly visible beneath.
They were—members of the Skeletal Clan.
Fang He shuddered, voice filled with dread: “Skeletal Clan?”
Wang Jie felt a chill rush straight to his head.
[Why are the Skeletal Clan here?]
He could never forget their appearance—the moment one had slain Zhi Lan Xue. No matter how long he lived, he would never forget that sight.
The fierce battlefield abruptly seemed to fall silent in Wang Jie’s eyes.
He stared at one of the Skeletal Clan beings, who slowly turned its head, meeting his gaze. Wang Jie’s heart stopped, yet inexplicably, the pounding in his ears grew louder and louder. His breathing froze.
[Why won’t my heartbeat stop? Be still, or they’ll notice…]
The second Skeletal Clan being lifted its head, reaching upward as though pulling away space itself. Void split apart, revealing countless Star Refining Realm experts locked in desperate battles.
Everyone turned toward the Skeletal Clan beings, their gazes captured. At this moment, those two figures became the absolute center of the universe.
The thundering heartbeat echoed louder in Wang Jie’s ears.
He remained fixed, staring as the Skeletal Clan being slowly withdrew its gaze from him, shifting its attention to Fang He. With a flicker, the being appeared right before Fang He.
Fang He’s pupils shrank in terror, instinctively unleashing a Single Blade Slash.
The blade descended—then halted, suspended midair.
A waterfall of energy surged upward into the heavens as Fang He gently fell, his blade shattering in hand.
Defeated—by a single strike.
Immediately, the Skeletal Clan being blurred, appearing next before Luo Kui. Like Fang He, Luo Kui collapsed instantly, beaten without suspense. Then again, and again, it flashed from figure to figure—Luo Yin, Su Su, Tang Zhou, Qing Xiao, Han Ling—it defeated every top-tier cultivator in this Wandering Star Realm battlefield with only one move each.
Even the Hundred Million Instant Slash Technique froze helplessly, its blade unable to descend.
No one intervened.
Even the Star Refining Realm experts stood frozen, held in check by the other Skeletal Clan being.
Wang Jie recognized that figure clearly—the very being who had killed Zhi Lan Xue with a single blow.
Zhi He desperately charged, thrusting a finger at the Skeletal Clan being. Yet, as their bodies crossed paths, Zhi He dropped from the sky, pale-faced and unconscious. Defeat—swift and absolute, so fast the process was impossible to see.
Nobody dared move. They merely watched, stunned, as the Skeletal Clan being effortlessly defeated each cultivator, widely recognized as a genius.
Standing tall amidst the stars, the Skeletal Clan being appeared deeply disappointed.
At that moment, a figure stepped forward—one Wang Jie had never seen before, someone who’d always stood unnoticed behind others’ brilliance.
“Xiao Hui,” the figure spoke softly, uttering a name everyone had heard at least once.
Armor One Sect, Peerless Lord Xiao.
The first time Wang Jie had heard this name was back on Blue Star—Insect Ruo Ruo liked Xiao Hui yet mistakenly believed Xiao Hui was fond of Wen Zhao.
Wang Jie never imagined their first meeting would be under circumstances like these.
The Skeletal Clan being instantly moved, rushing toward Xiao Hui. Calmly, Xiao Hui stepped forward as well.
Space twisted violently, obscuring the scene. The observers outside couldn’t clearly see their battle, only sensing they exchanged more than a single blow. Remarkably, Xiao Hui matched the enemy evenly.
At that instant, from atop the Star Dome, a Star Refining Realm cultivator roared furiously, “Skeletal Clan, you deserve death!”
The second Skeletal Clan being disappeared instantly, raising an arm and cleaving the entire heavens horizontally in half—he refused to let anyone interfere with the duel below.
At this sight, Wang Jie felt how insignificant he truly was.
The power to split the universe itself far surpassed his comprehension, more terrifying than any expert he’d ever encountered.
A moment later, overwhelming pressure descended—every Star Refining Realm cultivator seemed to press down upon the battlefield at once.
Wang Jie felt his mind roar like thunder, and he lost all control, collapsing helplessly.
His consciousness blurred, the world rocked violently, and he could do nothing but accept his fate. [How utterly powerless this feels…]
He wasn’t even qualified to watch the battle.
Vaguely, voices drifted into his ears:
“Hurry, take Su Su and the others away, retreat immediately!”
“Senior Zhi Ye was gravely injured by the Skeletal Clan, and Edge Sect seized the opportunity to capture him. Our Big Dipper bridge pillar has fallen. Notify the sect at once.”
“Request the sect to cleanse the Death Realm again!”
“Retreat first.”
“…”
Wang Jie had already fallen unconscious.
When he awakened, he felt himself jostled roughly, like lying in a rickety carriage traveling along a rough country road.
Slowly opening his eyes, he saw a dark, starry sky on either side. Beneath him was—a puppet?
“You’re awake,” a familiar voice greeted him.
Wang Jie was startled, exclaiming weakly: “Senior Jiang?”
Indeed, it was Jiang You Sheng who spoke: “I saw you collapse, so I quickly took you away. If I hadn’t, you’d either die on the battlefield or end up captured by Edge Sect.”
Wang Jie’s head ached terribly. Someone else was nearby; he glanced over and saw another puppet.
“What are you staring at, you little thief? You’re never honest,” came a crisp, familiar voice—Jiang Yi Yi, the girl who had guarded him at Heavy Depth Star before he’d escaped.
Wang Jie smiled weakly: “Thank you. What happened to me?”
Jiang You Sheng sighed: “In a battle between Star Refining Realm masters, those with bad luck were overwhelmed by the shockwaves. We were fortunate enough to survive. Unfortunately, the battle was lost. Senior Zhi Ye actively attacked the Skeletal Clan and was severely injured, then captured by Edge Sect. The Star Refining Realm battlefield broke apart, and defenses crumbled.”
Wang Jie immediately understood why Zhi Ye had taken such a risk.
Those two Skeletal Clan beings were precisely the ones who had seized the Black White Heavenbridge Building and killed Zhi Lan Xue.
Zhi Lan Xue was a direct junior of Zhi Ye’s lineage.
“What about Xiao Hui’s fight with that Skeletal Clan?” Wang Jie asked.
“He lost.”
Wang Jie was stunned: “He lost?”
Jiang Yi Yi muttered unhappily: “To defeat a Skeletal Clan creature at the same level, only Wandering Gods stand a chance. Xiao Hui is strong, but not strong enough.”
Wang Jie felt shaken. Xiao Hui had already seemed immensely powerful, far surpassing Six Dao Wanderers. Yet, even he had lost? [Is the Skeletal Clan truly that terrifying?]
“Rest first,” Jiang You Sheng said softly. “We’ll find somewhere safe to hide. Right now, the bridge pillar must be organizing reinforcements. We just need to wait for help.”
Wang Jie was indeed exhausted. Without further words, he closed his eyes.
After some time passed, Wang Jie awakened again, feeling much better now.
Currently, they were inside a meteorite. Looking around, he saw countless meteorites clustered densely.
“You’re awake,” Jiang You Sheng spoke, sitting within his puppet, though his current state was unclear. On the other side, Jiang Yi Yi also remained inside her puppet, though hers was far more refined and elegant.
Wang Jie nodded slightly: “Yes, I’m awake.”
“How do you feel?”
“Much better,” Wang Jie replied, rubbing his forehead. His first act was to pull out his star disk and inspect their surroundings. Thankfully, there were no energy readings.
Jiang Yi Yi stared curiously: “What is that?”
Wang Jie replied: “It’s a star artifact, similar to a combat detector.”
“Useless gadget,” Jiang Yi Yi scoffed dismissively.
Jiang You Sheng scolded gently: “Yi Yi, don’t be rude.”
Jiang Yi Yi snorted, feeling greatly annoyed with Wang Jie. If he hadn’t escaped earlier, she wouldn’t have been reprimanded by the ancestor or confined. The humiliation she suffered had been enormous.
Everyone at Little Round Lake knew that Jiang Yi Yi, a Wandering Star Realm expert, had let a mere ten-seal cultivator escape. She had no way to explain herself.
This was a wound etched deeply into her heart.
Wang Jie, however, didn’t bother to argue with Jiang Yi Yi. Instead, he looked outward and asked: “Senior, where exactly are we now?”
Jiang You Sheng helplessly replied: “No idea. Our personal terminals are useless, and the Star Refining Realm battle changed the entire layout of this star region. Besides, we only came as reinforcements, so we’re not familiar with this place.”
“How about you? Do you know this region?”
Wang Jie shook his head: “Junior was always in Cloud Stream Domain. I’ve never visited this area.” He had merely passed through the asteroid belt on a battleship before. At that time, it had been filled with orbital dust and other debris, utterly different from now.
Jiang You Sheng continued: “Then we can only find a way to reunite with the others.”
Wang Jie asked again about the events after he’d passed out.
Jiang You Sheng had briefly mentioned it before, but not clearly enough.
Jiang You Sheng explained again: “The Skeletal Clan appeared, and Senior Zhi Ye’s sudden injury and capture by Edge Sect were the decisive factors behind this defeat. Without that gap in our Star Refining Realm defense, we wouldn’t have lost so terribly.”
“Our losses, as well as the Ancient Sword Pillar Keeper’s, were both severe.”
“Such battles of mutual attrition have occurred countless times in history. Perhaps even the Ancient Sword Pillar Keeper never anticipated it this time. They’ve taken control of a region they’ve never entered before.”
Jiang Yi Yi interrupted unhappily: “Who knows what’s wrong with that Zhi Ye anyway, attacking the Skeletal Clan on his own initiative.”
Jiang You Sheng softly scolded: “Yi Yi, don’t disrespect him. He is a senior at the Star Refining Realm, after all.”
Jiang Yi Yi didn’t care: “He’s not from our Third Nebula anyway. On other battlefields, we’d be enemies.”
She wasn’t wrong. On the Yin Yang Battlefield, they were indeed enemies.
Jiang You Sheng and Jiang Yi Yi didn’t know the reason behind Zhi Ye’s action, but Wang Jie had guessed part of it. Perhaps it was related to the incident when the Heavenbridge Building was seized by the Skeletal Clan. Those two Skeletal Clan beings had murdered Zhi Lan Xue and stolen the Heavenbridge Building—and back then, the escort had also been led by none other than Zhi Ye.