Chapter 301

Chapter 301: The Line That Cannot Be Crossed

Seeing the endless fall of starsea stones, Yun Jian felt disappointment and sighed softly, “I was hoping to find something special as a gift for you. But these starsea stones are far too ordinary. Forgive me.”

Behind him, the woman laughed gently, replying softly, “To be the first to witness what the Void conceals is gift enough.”

Ignoring the mountain of stones, Yun Jian turned around and took the woman’s hand, saying calmly, “Come, let’s continue searching.”

The woman obediently followed him away.

After they left, several figures hurried forward greedily, scooping up the abandoned starsea stones.

There were nearly ten million starsea stones, equal to one hundred billion starstones—a fortune of unimaginable value. Yun Jian, a proud member of the Yun Clan, thought little of it, but to ordinary clubs, it was a treasure worth risking their lives for.

Soon after, the news that Yun Jian had used the stripe pattern to unlock a Void Cache, dropping millions of starsea stones, spread quickly.

As soon as it spread, excitement gripped everyone.

This confirmed that the stripes were truly the keys to the Void. It also meant the treasures from the other three trains had indeed flowed into this one. Enthusiasm to search for more stripe patterns surged, causing the conflicts and killings to intensify.

Amidst the turmoil, someone used star force to inscribe words directly into the train’s sky:

An offer to exchange stripe patterns, at the land located at the very center of the train.

Standing on a mountain peak, Wang Jie raised his eyes, observing the words floating above. [So, someone wants to trade after all?] If the stripe patterns shattered, gathering them again would require luck. Trading, however, was different. It gave a real chance to gain the other half directly.

Of course, anyone who dared to exchange would need great courage.

There were always eyes secretly watching.

Wu Yuan was tempted, eager to trade. They feared no scrutiny. Yet, seeing that Shao Ling’er remained still, Wu Yuan restrained himself.

In the distance, Shao Ling’er was secretly watching Wu Yuan as well.

Seeing Wu Yuan show no intention to exchange the pattern, her expression grew increasingly grave.

“Senior Sister,” a female disciple whispered angrily beside Shao Ling’er, “they’re clearly spying on us. If they’ve really joined forces with Ke Mu Sheng, then Ke Mu Sheng can do the exchange himself. That way, they’d gain the pattern while still keeping their eyes on us. How despicable!”

Shao Ling’er was equally furious. Such blatant bullying had finally crossed her limit. Without hesitation, she rushed out, shouting in rage, “Wu Yuan, I’ll ask you one last time. Must you insist on spying on us?”

Wu Yuan frowned deeply. [This is troublesome. It seems Shao Ling’er has reached her breaking point.]

Yu Zhi anxiously warned him, “Elder, Shao Ling’er’s strength is extraordinary. It’s said she’s the greatest prodigy Sincere One Dao has seen, surpassing even Shu Mu Night. Fighting her is unwise.”

Wu Yuan knew this all too well. “What if I told you the descendants of the Nan family might be hiding inside Sincere One Dao?”

Everyone was stunned. [No wonder Elder insisted on watching Sincere One Dao so closely.]

“How do you know this, Elder?” Han Ling asked, puzzled.

Wang Jie stepped forward, speaking solemnly, “I sensed it. Someone inside Sincere One Dao has cultivated the Red Moon Technique more deeply than I have.”

Yu Zhi frowned deeply, muttering, “Then this truly is trouble.”

Wu Yuan lifted his head, eyes brightening with fierce resolve. “I once lost to Shu Mu Night in a single move. Today, why not test this Shao Ling’er?” With these words, he soared into the sky, confronting Shao Ling’er directly. “Shao Ling’er, what exactly do you intend?”

Everyone was startled. They had known Wu Yuan lost to a star guardian before, but had no idea that guardian was Shu Mu Night himself.

Wang Jie was equally surprised. [What a strange twist of fate. So, Wu Yuan lost to Shu Mu Night before. No wonder he’s so eager when I mentioned observing Shao Ling’er. He must have wanted this fight for a long time.]

This confrontation had attracted countless eyes. Nearby clubs quickly withdrew to safety.

Shao Ling’er glared fiercely at Wu Yuan, voice icy, “That’s exactly what I want to ask you. Have you teamed up with Ke Mu Sheng?”

“Ke Mu Sheng? Why would I need to ally with him?” Wu Yuan replied coldly.

“Then why are you spying on us?”

“The train is only so big.”

“Enough nonsense. You know exactly what you’re doing. I’ll give you one last chance: keep your distance, or else—”

Wu Yuan drew his blade, pointing sharply toward Shao Ling’er, “Or else what? My Black White Heaven has no reason to fear your Sincere One Dao.”

Shao Ling’er nodded slowly, her gaze piercing. “Very well. Go ahead and try me.” As soon as the words left her lips, star force surged violently from within her, piercing the sky. Opposite her, Wu Yuan immediately unleashed his star force as well. The collision between two immense hundred-star-realm star forces twisted the sky, violently pushing back the lands beneath them.

Wu Yuan’s expression slowly grew excited.

He had waited too long. Ever since first encountering Shao Ling’er in the Silver Radiance Empire, he’d longed to test himself against her, to discover how strong this genius said to surpass Shu Mu Night truly was.

The two star forces collided continuously until suddenly Shao Ling’er’s force pressed forward with unstoppable might, overpowering Wu Yuan completely.

Wu Yuan shuddered inwardly. [Such overwhelming power!]

From below, Wang Jie and the others saw only a distorted sky before Shao Ling’er’s immense star force cascaded down upon them.

Her strength far exceeded Wu Yuan’s.

“The Tai Su Essence Scripture of Sincere One Dao allows repeated cultivation,” Han Ling said grimly. “Shao Ling’er must have recultivated. Elder’s star force cannot match hers.”

Yu Zhi’s eyes flashed decisively. “Attack! Help relieve the Elder’s burden!”

Everyone immediately targeted the disciples following Shao Ling’er, charging into battle.

Across the way, Dao One Club had only five people. No matter how powerful they were, it was impossible to overcome the dozen-strong force of Black White Heaven.

Shao Ling’er saw them clearly. Her Star Force spread out with dominating authority, one part crashing toward Wu Yuan, the other pressing upon Wang Jie and the others. Wu Yuan tightened his grip on the hilt of his blade and sent forth a single slash. The fierce blade split open the incoming Star Force, slicing straight toward Shao Ling’er.

Shao Ling’er raised her hand, pointing her finger. Instantly, the Star Force condensed into mirrors. Invisible waves rippled upon their surfaces, distorting the blade’s light and reflecting the power back at Wu Yuan. Wu Yuan hadn’t expected his strike to be countered so easily.

He took a deep breath, releasing his Star Force once more.

This time, the Star Force changed, pressing heavily upon Shao Ling’er. It was gravity Star Force. Wu Yuan lifted his blade high, then sent another powerful slash downward.

Shao Ling’er stared coldly at the incoming blade, her brows lightly furrowing.

Below, Wang Jie and the others seized the moment as Wu Yuan’s gravity Star Force pressured Shao Ling’er. They leaped across the void to engage the cultivators of Sincere One Dao.

Yu Zhi had a clear goal: to snatch the striped fragment.

Wang Jie’s aim was even clearer: the descendant of the Nan family.

Beside him, a short blade hovered—it belonged to Yun Que.

Wang Jie immediately spoke: “Senior brother, leave her to me.”

Yun Que did not doubt him, turning away at once.

The woman Wang Jie faced was precisely the female disciple who had repeatedly advised Shao Ling’er. Her name was Zhi.

Zhi stared intently at Wang Jie. [It’s him. Perfect. I’ve long wanted to get rid of him. If it wasn’t for his incessant demands for the Red Moon Technique, Nan Ling would never have been sacrificed. Nan Ling, today your master will avenge you.]

They immediately clashed.

Zhi’s strength was remarkable, not inferior to any Six Dao Wanderer. In fact, Wang Jie sensed that she still concealed deeper power. This concealment was understandable, for as a descendant of the Nan family, she possessed techniques of the Four Seasons Bridge and the Red Moon. Yet right now, she only used battle skills learned from Sincere One Dao.

But even this was enough to rival a Six Dao Wanderer.

Wang Jie guessed that if she fought with full strength, he might not stand a chance.

Fortunately, Zhi would never risk exposing her full strength. And right now, Wang Jie’s true purpose was observation—to study her Qi flow.

Even though she would not directly use the Red Moon Technique, her internal Star Force circulation couldn’t entirely escape its influence. Wang Jie needed to carefully observe her Qi to deduce more secrets of the Red Moon Technique.

Zhi had no idea Wang Jie had already discerned her identity, nor that the encounter itself had been arranged by Wang Jie instructing Wu Yuan to fight Shao Ling’er—otherwise, she would have certainly killed him outright.

With Zhi holding back, their fight dragged on without resolution. Zhi had initially thought Pei Lin from Nine Sword Club was merely pretending, but now she discovered this Lock Forceful Star Realm cultivator truly matched a Six Dao Wanderer. If she wished to win, she would need to reveal some hidden strength.

But not only were Black White Heaven cultivators around them—other powerful figures observed from afar. She couldn’t risk exposure.

With no other option, she continued her battle against Wang Jie. Neither side could gain an advantage.

Sincere One Dao truly lived up to its reputation as the strongest faction of Southern Dipper Bridge. These club disciples appeared unknown, yet each was no weaker than a Six Dao Wanderer. Black White Heaven Club had gathered every known Six Dao Wanderer, yet they still couldn’t swiftly defeat these mere five people.

Considering the larger picture among all bridges:

Armor One Sect occupied most of the first Star Cloud, but Sincere One Dao controlled more than half of the entire Southern Dipper Bridge. If Armor One Sect’s elite disciples faced these Sincere One Dao cultivators, there would still be a clear gap.

As Wang Jie pondered this, high above, Wu Yuan roared softly. Behind him appeared an enormous phantom.

Wang Jie’s eyes widened slightly. [Is that…the Great Domain Canon visualization?]

Shao Ling’er raised her brow: “I see. You cultivated this during your Pre-Tribulation Stage. So, your defeat at the hands of Senior Brother Shu was also in that stage.”

Wu Yuan shut his eyes, sinking entirely into his blade’s intent. The beast phantom behind him grew more vivid, scales forming upon its body.

Wu Jiang watched anxiously. [This is Master’s strongest blade technique—the Lin Yue Slash. If even this can’t defeat Shao Ling’er, then Master will surely lose.]

Shao Ling’er sneered coldly: “A nice blade technique, but useless against me.”

Wu Yuan opened his eyes and unleashed a single mighty slash. Countless eyes turned to watch. At that moment, aboard the distant train, the majority were captivated by the gigantic, lifelike phantom beast suspended in the void, their faces filled with awe as they sensed its overwhelming blade intent.

On the other side, Shao Ling’er raised her hand and clenched her fingers slowly into a fist. Just as the blade’s intent was about to reach her, countless mirrors formed from Star Force shattered. “Moon Reflected in Shattered Waters.”

No one saw clearly what she did.

Yet, that fearsome blade intent shattered instantly. Wu Yuan staggered backward, spitting blood, his face pale.

Shock gripped everyone present.

Wu Yuan had lost.

Utterly and decisively lost.

Wang Jie and the others felt their hearts sink. How long had passed? Wu Yuan had unleashed his strongest blade technique, yet he couldn’t even force Shao Ling’er to reveal her bridge techniques. In fact, thinking closely, Shao Ling’er hadn’t exerted herself at all.

“Retreat,” Wu Yuan ordered in a low voice.

Wang Jie withdrew without hesitation.

Zhi wanted to pursue but was repelled by Mo Wan’s Yin thunder Pattern.

Shao Ling’er gazed coldly at Wu Yuan, considering a final strike.

Wu Yuan raised his head, releasing a heavy breath. His Star Force erupted, wildly sweeping around him as if prepared to fight to the death.

Shao Ling’er swept her gaze across the surroundings and decided not to strike further, allowing Black White Heaven Club to retreat.

This battle made all factions wary of Shao Ling’er. Her opponents would not stop with Wu Yuan alone. Chasing now was unwise.

From all directions, gazes withdrew, filled with shock and caution.

Shao Ling’er was too powerful.

Wu Yuan couldn’t even probe her bottom line.

In truth, Wu Yuan was not weak. As Black White Heaven’s top Elder, he had cultivated during the Pre-Tribulation Stage, standing once before a Star Guardian. That slash was incredibly powerful, yet he still lost disastrously. It could only mean Shao Ling’er’s strength was beyond measure.

“Master, are you all right?” Wu Jiang hurriedly supported Wu Yuan, worry etched upon his face.