Chapter 311
Chapter 311: Your Name
Under Wang Jie’s gaze, she stepped lightly over Nan Zhi’s corpse, then crouched down beside the body of the Nan Clan ancestor. She seemed to wipe away something unseen. Rising again, her fingertips moved gently, and in a flash of sword-light, the ancestor’s body vanished into smoke.
Wang Jie watched her intently. The last time they met had been fleeting, a mere glimpse. But now, he observed her carefully, determined to memorize her every motion, every expression—everything about her.
The woman turned around, facing Wang Jie.
Her eyes were calm and endless, devoid of even the slightest ripple.
“Thank you,” she said softly, her voice gentle, entirely unlike someone who had just effortlessly slain countless experts.
Wang Jie kept his gaze fixed upon her: “Even without my help, you could’ve entered.”
When he had followed Nan Zhi inside, he’d purposely left a gap by wedging the Void Skate outside the control room, giving this woman a chance to enter. Yet it wasn’t solely for her sake; he was also wary of Nan Zhi.
After all, this Four Seasons Train belonged to the Nan Clan. No matter how frightened or helpless Nan Zhi seemed outside, caution was always necessary in another’s territory.
Of course, Wang Jie knew his own words were true. Even if he hadn’t left that gap, she would still have found her way in—otherwise, she wouldn’t have allowed Nan Zhi to live as long as she had.
“Who are you? What’s your name?” Wang Jie asked.
The woman didn’t answer, silently walking toward the exit.
Wang Jie stepped into her path, taking out the sword tassel: “Since our farewell at Thunder Abyss, I’ve thought of you every moment.”
“I wanted to know if you were well.”
“Who exactly are you?”
“I want to know your name, to know where I might find you again.”
“I want to know everything about you.”
Her face remained cold, and her figure flickered past Wang Jie so swiftly he couldn’t react. By the time he regained his senses, she was already behind him.
“Our meeting was but a dream; why cling to it? Each should journey on alone.”
Wang Jie stared at her departing figure: “Four thousand three hundred forty-eight days.”
The woman halted in place.
His voice deepened: “Since we first met, it’s been exactly four thousand three hundred forty-eight days—nearly twelve years. A decade of wandering, a decade in my heart. How could I ever forget?”
The woman remained silent.
“The world says one thought of letting go grants infinite freedom. But who can truly achieve it?” Wang Jie continued, stepping toward her slowly: “Was our meeting truly just a dream? If so, then why didn’t you kill me?”
“I know I am not worthy of you. But even just knowing your name, having one memory to hold onto, is better than praying to meet you again in dreams.”
“I, Wang Jie, don’t insist upon you alone. If it is truly impossible, I will release you. Yet even if there’s but a fraction of hope, I still wish to hold onto it—because you are mine.”
“And I am also yours.”
The woman didn’t look back. Wang Jie stopped, gazing at her silently.
“Ban Xia.”
Her name drifted softly through the air, the warmth in her voice like clear water gently flowing, soothing yet touched by a faint coolness.
Wang Jie’s eyes shook: “Ban Xia—one of Heaven Azure Star Guardians?”
Ban Xia continued onward. Before leaving, she tossed down a pile of striped fragments, saying: “Your club hides one from the Death Realm.”
Wang Jie watched Ban Xia vanish, his eyes settling on the fragments scattered upon the floor.
Previously, he and Wu Yuan had speculated about the identity of the killer.
With that person’s strength, if they belonged to Hundred Star Realm, they’d certainly wield Star Guardian-level power. Yet even more likely, they were from the Star Refining Realm. Now he finally knew: she was indeed one of Heaven Azure’s renowned Star Guardians.
She stood as Shu Mu Night’s peer.
Star Guardians existed far above ordinary cultivators, capable of deciding the rise and fall of countless Bridge Pillar forces with a single word.
Another facing a Star Guardian might despair, but he, Wang Jie, had already defeated one before. What did it matter if they were Star Guardians? If he could defeat one once, he could do so again. His original target was to deliver another slap to Shu Mu Night.
Since Ban Xia was equal in status with Shu Mu Night, then from the very start, she could also be his target.
Having surpassed impossible gaps once before, he no longer feared doing it again.
He collected the striped fragments, puzzled: [Why does Ban Xia have so many? Did she collect them after killing, or pick them up from elsewhere?] No matter; he gathered them all, along with the Void Skate.
He glanced at Wu Yuan.
Ban Xia said someone from the Death Realm was in their club. But who? She had no reason to deceive him.
Yet, being a Death Realm cultivator himself, he’d sensed nothing suspicious in the club. Still, this wasn’t unusual—the hidden Death Realm cultivator likely didn’t know his identity as Hundred Coffins either.
He mentally reviewed the club’s experts, focusing particularly on those above four hundred thousand combat power.
Yet, he could find no suspicious individual.
Scanning the area again, he approached the place where the Nan Clan ancestor had perished. There was nothing visible here—Ban Xia must have erased something.
Inside the entire control room, only the dim and faded red moon remained.
Wang Jie began circulating the Red Moon Cultivation Technique.
Gradually, his internal Lock Force rose toward the red moon overhead. Although his technique was incomplete, the red moon itself guided the Lock Force, slowly causing Wang Jie to yield control.
His body rose, drifting gently upward, sinking into the crimson moonlight.
[No wonder when Nan Zhi first shared the Red Moon Technique, she only provided so little], Wang Jie thought. Any further, and it might’ve touched the core of the Nan Clan’s secret red moon cultivation method. Reaching that core could risk replacing her entirely.
Wang Jie felt grateful that he’d acquired more details of the Red Moon Technique back then. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to use the technique to track down Nan Zhi, nor benefit at this crucial moment.
As his form merged fully into the red moon, he suddenly heard the roaring of the train and glimpsed streams of light piercing through darkness—the very route of the train itself. He sensed the countless formation daos filling the train’s lead car, as though all control were within his grasp.
And he felt something else—the tremendous power residing inside this crimson moon.
Those lights seemed as if they could be used by him. Yet he couldn’t sense the power of the Four Seasons. That power of time came from the Nan family’s Bridge Law, and since he didn’t possess it, he couldn’t wield its force.
But it didn’t matter now.
He felt perhaps he could control whether the train moved or stopped.
Slowly, he closed his eyes again, feeling the gift of the Crimson Moon.
There were many remnants left behind by the Nan family here. Scene after scene appeared, each created by the Nan ancestors through the Bridge Law of the Four Seasons. Wang Jie couldn’t grasp their power of time, yet he could clearly see these remnants.
These scenes were intended for descendants of the Nan family.
Any descendant appearing here would only do so in moments of life and death, desperately needing the power of their heritage.
Therefore, what Wang Jie was witnessing right now was the Nan family’s greatest secret—
Something capable of helping their descendants rebuild the family.
He saw visions one after another—not many, yet they covered all four bridge pillars.
The more Wang Jie saw, the more astonished he became. He didn’t fully understand what each vision represented, but knew that only by reaching their locations could the Crimson Moon open them.
The Four Seasons Train of the Nan family had once been strictly warned by major forces not to shuttle recklessly.
This meant the Nan family had likely uncovered many secrets.
Could their annihilation have been related to these secrets?
There weren’t many visions, but Wang Jie sensed that every secret depicted was incredibly important.
At that moment, the lock force within his body circulated along with the Crimson Moon’s energy, returning again inside. He was astonished—this was the Crimson Moon Technique? The complete version. This Crimson Moon was actually assisting him.
He immediately began cultivation.
Everything Nan Zhi had arranged was benefiting him now.
With the Crimson Moon’s help, Wang Jie knew he could master this complete technique.
During this time, Wu Yuan nearly awakened, but Wang Jie used the Crimson Moon’s glow to knock him unconscious again. [Sorry, elder. Please sleep a bit longer.]
He couldn’t afford to let Wu Yuan see this scene. If Wu Yuan woke up now, he’d figure out too many things—such as why the attacker hadn’t harmed Wang Jie or even knocked him out, and what secrets Wang Jie had obtained from the Nan family. These things couldn’t be revealed.
The club had Death Realm experts, and Wu Yuan could very well be one of them.
It was unclear how long had passed before Wang Jie finally descended slowly from the Crimson Moon.
Sensing the lock force circulating within him, Wang Jie realized the Crimson Moon Technique was probably the strongest cultivation method he’d learned yet. Techniques like the Yi Sword Technique, Starry Finger, and Zhong Cui Sword Threads were all battle arts, while the Crimson Moon actually aided in absorbing starforce. No wonder the Nan family regarded it as their clan’s prized method. It was enough for him.
Next was opening the striped key.
He couldn’t waste what Ban Xia had left him.
[Wait, does this count as living off a woman?] With a strange thought, Wang Jie began piecing together the striped fragments.
There were many fragments, and he opened them one by one.
First were the red-striped ones—the most abundant.
He opened the first piece.
A small mountain of Starsea Stones instantly spilled out.
Looking at the Starsea Stones covering the ground around him, Wang Jie quietly collected them again, storing them away for now. There were so many that even his storage ring couldn’t hold them all.
Countless years of Nan family accumulation—who knew just how many Starsea Stones they’d gathered?
Most red-striped fragments revealed outside contained Starsea Stones, anyway.
Then the second fragment was opened—more Starsea Stones. The third, again…
One after another, most red-striped fragments released Starsea Stones. Wang Jie estimated there were probably trillions—an unimaginable amount. There were other rare star stones, many he couldn’t identify.
Occasionally, a coordinate appeared.
Wang Jie guessed these coordinates led to Strange Planets.
Strange Planets were valuable. Even though top sects didn’t cultivate Strange Star Force, it didn’t mean they couldn’t sell them—or give them to cultivators from Blue Star. They weren’t picky; they wanted everything they could get.
Next came the yellow-striped fragments.
Filled with anticipation, he opened the first one—a jade slip. Wang Jie immediately inspected it.
After a moment, surprise filled his expression. [This is the Shield Mountain Lock technique? Why would it be here with the Nan family?]
Shield Mountain Lock was the famed battle art of Shield Mountain Yue from the Third Nebula, Fifth Star Chain. Wang Jie vividly remembered it. Back when Ying Yang Battlefield was hunted down by Yue Bai, the Shield Lock art had pressured them to the point they couldn’t breathe. He had even specifically investigated it then.
Shield Lock had three realms:
Earth Vein Shield Lock, Heaven Vein Shield Lock, and Stellar Vein Shield Lock. But here was a fourth realm—Star Vein Shield Lock.
Wang Jie thought carefully, stored away the jade slip, and continued opening the next fragment.
Opening another striped fragment—
Another battle art appeared. It had decent power, using the mace, aggressive yet oddly unpredictable, but it wasn’t suitable for him. He put it away.
He continued opening fragments.
All of the Nan family’s stored techniques were formidable. Even in Black White Heaven, elite disciples would compete fiercely for them. Yet Wang Jie couldn’t learn them all.
Suddenly—[Frost Radiance Moon?]
Frost Radiance Moon was a technique from Frost Radiance Sect that could deepen ten seals to a faint black color. Quite valuable, it enhanced the foundation of disciples within ten seals. He hadn’t expected the Nan family to possess this too.
Immediately after, Wang Jie opened another fragment to reveal the Frost Crippling Sky battle art. This was the signature art of Frost Radiance Sect, incredibly powerful, yet the Nan family had it as well.
He continued.
Only two fragments remained.