Chapter 279

Chapter 279: Wang Jie and Xi Liu

“That’s exactly why you must die,” the voice said. “Little mole.”

Wang Jie forced himself to speak quickly. “This disciple isn’t a mole. Senior can check my body for Fengmen’s control methods. This disciple absolutely isn’t a mole.”

“Oh?” the voice replied. “Then how did you get that identity token?”

A pause.

“That’s a Fengmen true disciple identity token. It corresponds to a Black-White Heaven disciple at the Six-Path Roamer level. Someone like you couldn’t steal it.”

Wang Jie clenched his jaw. “This disciple can deceive.”

Silence.

Then, “How?”

“By pretending to be a mole,” Wang Jie said, “and getting the control method removed.”

“You think Fengmen is stupid?” the voice snapped. “Or you think we’re stupid? That method is difficult to remove even for people like us.”

Wang Jie fell silent.

He couldn’t exactly explain that someone from the Ancient Sword Bridge-Pillar had taught him tempered sword-thread methods.

Then the voice spoke again, slower, almost thoughtful.

“Star Dao Master lineages truly are unfathomable.”

Wang Jie’s blood ran cold.

They knew?

A figure stepped out of the darkness.

Wang Jie looked up—and his body went rigid. He immediately bowed deeply.

“Disciple Wang Jie pays respects to the Black Realm Lord.”

He never could have imagined it.

The one hiding here was the Black Realm Lord.

No wonder he knew Wang Jie had a Star Dao Master behind him.

The Black Realm Lord regarded him calmly. “So Fang He’s suspicion was correct. You were captured by Fengmen. But you returned through deception.”

Wang Jie didn’t deny it. “Yes. If Realm Lord doubts me, Realm Lord may inspect this disciple’s body.”

The Black Realm Lord chuckled. “You do have ability.”

“Not only did you cleanly remove suspicion from yourself—you even made Fang He betray.”

“Fang He’s betrayal has nothing to do with this disciple,” Wang Jie said quickly. “And he truly did flee the battlefield. That is fact.”

The Black Realm Lord’s gaze sharpened. “There are many methods of controlling people. We can’t claim to know them all. So when you say you ‘removed’ Fengmen’s control, I don’t believe you.”

Wang Jie’s heart sank. “This disciple never leaked even a shred of intelligence to Fengmen.”

A new presence emerged.

More precisely, a single character appeared in the air, like a word written into reality itself.

Gu Xun Yi.

Wang Jie’s pupils tightened.

Gu Xun Yi and the Black Realm Lord were both here.

The Ancient Sword Bridge-Pillar would never guess it in a thousand years—the very people they dreamed of finding were right under their noses.

A voice came from the character, impossible to place. “Little kid, are you a Star Dao Master’s inheritor?”

Wang Jie nodded. “Yes. This disciple is taught by Star Dao Master Shu Rang.”

“A Star Dao Master won’t protect you,” Gu Xun Yi said, “if you’re truly a traitor.”

Wang Jie opened his mouth to defend himself—

Another figure stepped out.

Qi Celestial Master.

All three Star-Refining Realm powerhouses were here. Not one missing.

Qi Celestial Master studied Wang Jie. “We saw you absorb lockforce for cultivation. Your talent is rare. Killing you would be a pity.”

“But the fact you could return here to cultivate proves Fengmen trusts you. How are we supposed to trust your words?”

Wang Jie’s eyes flickered.

He understood.

They were forcing him to take a side.

They had something they wanted him to do.

Whether his Star Dao Master identity could save him, Wang Jie had no confidence. This was a battlefield. If they killed him here, the outside world might never learn how he died.

Even if his master did learn, was Shu Rang really going to hunt down three Star-Refining Realm experts?

And from their perspective, they had every reason to kill him.

Wang Jie lowered his head and bowed deeply. “If this disciple wishes to earn Seniors’ trust, what must this disciple do? Please instruct me.”

The Black Realm Lord and Qi Celestial Master exchanged a glance.

Then their bodies vanished.

Gu Xun Yi vanished as well.

Wang Jie couldn’t sense them at all.

A soft, gentle voice came from behind him.

“I can tell you.”

Wang Jie turned.

A woman stood there.

Her beauty wasn’t the kind that cut like a blade. It was warmth—sunlight spilling across the earth. Even down in this dark underground ravine, she seemed to brighten the space around her.

The moment Wang Jie saw her, an inexplicable comfort spread through him, as if a long, cold night had been driven back.

“I’m Xi Liu,” she said with a faint smile. “A Jia Yi Sect disciple. I’ve seen you before.”

Her eyes curved. “Wang Jie. Long time no see.”

Wang Jie’s gaze trembled.

This woman knew his past.

Xi Liu’s smile stayed calm, almost amused, as if standing in enemy territory meant nothing to her.

Wang Jie steadied himself. “What must this junior do to be trusted?”

Xi Liu nodded. “We plan a counterattack. Time is critical. The war outside the Dual-Wind Line and our counterattack must begin at the same time. Only then will the Ancient Sword Bridge-Pillar be too distracted to respond.”

“To make that happen,” she continued, “someone needs to cross the Dual-Wind Line and deliver the message.”

Wang Jie gave a bitter smile. “Senior Sister is overestimating me. The Dual-Wind Line is the battlefield between two Bridge-Pillars. Forget me—even a Star-Refining Realm Senior can’t cross it.”

Xi Liu hummed. “Correct. That’s why we have another route.”

“There’s another route?” Wang Jie asked, startled.

“You don’t think a war between two Bridge-Pillars lasting this many years would leave only one path,” Xi Liu said. “We prepared contingencies. So did the Ancient Sword Bridge-Pillar. Both sides have hidden cards for emergencies.”

Wang Jie understood. Even mortal wars had more than one road.

“The second route is harder,” Xi Liu said. “High cultivation is easier to detect. Low cultivation lacks certainty.”

Her bright eyes settled on Wang Jie, and her lips curved into a smile that was almost dangerously charming.

“You’re just right.”

Wang Jie let out a breathless laugh. “If I hadn’t sensed someone inside the Star-Devourer, would you still—”

“We would have brought you down anyway,” Xi Liu cut in, shattering the fantasy cleanly.

Oddly, the honesty made Wang Jie feel better.

At least it wasn’t mere bad luck.

He’d been targeted.

“Senior Sister,” Wang Jie said, “how are you so sure I can do it?”

Xi Liu’s smile deepened. “Because you’re Wang Jie.”

Wang Jie’s eyelids twitched.

She had said she’d seen him. She knew his past.

Just like Qi Xue Yin.

He had the distinct feeling that meeting “acquaintances” never led to anything good.

“So whether I’m a mole doesn’t matter,” Wang Jie said.

Xi Liu nodded. “As long as you complete this task, even if you really are a mole, then you’re a mole we sent.”

“More accurately… you’d be a reverse-mole.”

Wang Jie gave a small nod.

At this point, what did it matter what anyone called him?

His identity had become a mess of overlapping masks.

“Since Junior Brother agrees,” Xi Liu said, “we should move quickly.”

She looked toward an empty patch of space, as if addressing people who weren’t there.

“Three Seniors. Junior Brother Wang Jie is risking his life to deliver our message. Shouldn’t Seniors show some sincerity?”

Wang Jie blinked, surprised.

So there really were benefits?

He quickly reminded himself: the better the gifts, the more dangerous the task.

Still, there was one comfort.

Right now, the battlefield had three major sides: the Ancient Sword Bridge-Pillar, the Beidou Bridge-Pillar, and the Corpse Sect. At most, you could add the Skeleton Clan.

Wang Jie carried identities connected to all three.

As long as he didn’t run into the Skeleton Clan, he might actually be safer than most.

A bottle of pills floated out of the Void and stopped before him.

Wang Jie caught it.

Xi Liu explained, “This is Celestial Master Qi’s Bodyfall Pill. An ordinary Bodyfall Pill wouldn’t be carried personally by Celestial Master Qi. This one is at least five-scent grade.”

Wang Jie’s eyes lit up.

He’d wanted a Bodyfall Pill for a long time.

“I’ve heard the Bodyfall Pill can form a vortex inside the body,” Wang Jie said quickly, “absorbing excess starforce or lockforce, storing it, and releasing it when needed. Is that true?”

Xi Liu nodded. “Yes.”

“You need an enormous amount of lockforce. The Star-Devourer is controlled by the Ancient Sword Bridge-Pillar—you can’t bring it with you. But with the Bodyfall Pill, you can preserve lockforce inside your body for emergencies.”

“And a five-scent Bodyfall Pill can hold far more lockforce than ordinary ones.”

Wang Jie bowed. “Many thanks, Celestial Master Qi.”

A single character appeared in the air:

Illusion.

It flashed and slammed into Wang Jie’s forehead.

Wang Jie staggered back several steps and touched his brow. There was no pain. No sensation at all.

“That’s Senior Gu’s character,” Xi Liu said. “If you face a life-or-death crisis, it can save your life.”

There was unmistakable envy in her voice. She smiled toward the empty space again. “Senior really is generous. This junior doesn’t have one.”

Gu Xun Yi’s voice drifted out. “You don’t need it.”

Xi Liu’s eyes curved like a crescent moon. “Who wouldn’t need Senior Gu’s character?”

Something else emerged from the Void—crude, simple, almost laughable at first glance.

Three boards joined together.

It floated before Wang Jie, and the Black Realm Lord’s voice spoke from nowhere.

“This can allow you to travel freely through starfield. Its speed rivals a Hundred-Star Realm cultivator.”

Wang Jie’s heart leapt.

His greatest weakness was that he wasn’t in the Roaming-Star Realm. He couldn’t walk through open space. With this, that flaw would be far less fatal.

Still…

He stared at the artifact in disbelief.

It looked far too crude.

Xi Liu sighed in admiration. “Senior Mo is truly generous. A Five Tribulations Chen Artifact—and one perfectly suited to Wang Jie.”

Her eyes sparkled. “Not only is it fast, its defense should be excellent as well.”

A Five Tribulations Chen Artifact.

Wang Jie’s breath caught.

That was a Star-Refining Realm-level Chen artifact.

Priceless.

The Black Realm Lord explained how to use it. Wang Jie learned quickly, then stowed it away immediately, afraid the Black Realm Lord might change his mind.

With this, even if he ended up stranded in starfield, he wouldn’t be helpless.

Finally, Xi Liu took out a piece of jade and pressed it into Wang Jie’s hands.

“I have something for you as well,” she said softly. “This plan was my idea. Sending you into danger is my doing, so consider this an apology.”

Wang Jie exchanged a few polite words, but he didn’t hesitate to accept the jade.

Xi Liu smiled. “This is a Jia Yi Sect entry token. It represents me. With it, Junior Brother can travel through most of the Jia Yi Sect freely—and especially, you can enter the Myriad Stars Cliff.”

Wang Jie rolled the jade between his fingers.

[How many identity tokens do I have now?]

He frowned. “The Myriad Stars Cliff?”

Xi Liu’s gaze deepened, starry ripples seeming to move within her eyes. “The Jia Yi Sect once possessed a supreme Chen Art, known as the Myriad-Stars Finger.”

Wang Jie’s brow lifted slightly.

“This finger art is not difficult to begin,” Xi Liu continued. “Learning it isn’t difficult either. The difficulty lies in strengthening its power.”

Her voice turned soft, almost reverent.

“Legend says the Myriad-Stars Finger can sever a nebula with one finger. It’s among the most terrifying Chen Arts in existence.”

Then she smiled at Wang Jie.

“I wonder, Junior Brother—how far have you taken it?”

Wang Jie froze.

Was she saying the finger art he practiced really was the Myriad-Stars Finger?

“One finger… sever a nebula?” he repeated, stunned. “When you say ‘nebula’… you mean?”

“The nebula you’re thinking of,” Xi Liu said calmly.

“Fourth Nebula?” Wang Jie asked.

“You can think of it that way.”

Wang Jie stared at her, incredulous. “Then what I learned must be a fake Myriad-Stars Finger. The name is the same, that’s all.”

It didn’t make sense.

The Myriad-Stars Finger was the advanced form of the Heaven-and-Earth Luo Xuan Finger. The Heaven-and-Earth Luo Xuan Finger was a lost Jia Yi Sect martial inheritance. That meant the Myriad-Stars Finger should also come from the Jia Yi Sect.

So why wasn’t his finger art that terrifying?

Still, the Myriad-Stars Finger he practiced was already extremely powerful. Against opponents of the same realm, almost no one could block even a single finger strike.