Chapter 338
Chapter 338: Scarlet Kiss
Thump, thump, thump.
Wang Jie could hear his heartbeat, slowing steadily. It was the sound of fading life, the final beats before death drew near.
The aura Ting Chen released filled him with an uneasy dread, something his instincts warned him not to approach.
But he was already dying—what did it matter what aura this was?
He had even gazed upon the dead before.
Whoosh.
Just as Wang Jie lunged forward, a profound and heavy stream of energy erupted from within Ting Chen, surging to the heavens. As the energy boiled around her, strange symbols he couldn’t understand began to spread across her skin. They flowed down her arms, across her body, as if drawn by an invisible brush.
Wang Jie tried to approach, but the force repeatedly pushed him away.
An unmatched presence rumbled around him, shaking his heart and soul.
[What kind of aura is this? Is it starforce? No, not starforce. Qi? Maybe, but perhaps not. I don’t understand.]
Ting Chen raised her head. Those symbols dripped down her arms, pooling at her fingertips into droplets. If one looked closely, they could see the tracks of celestial constellations spinning within. Her hair fluttered wildly, lengthening rapidly, shifting from a gentle pink to pitch-black. She stood firm, yet the surrounding void plunged into endless shadow.
The earth beneath her feet was consumed by these symbols. Even the heavens, filled with that deep aura, spread the strange marks everywhere.
It was as if the world itself was being rewritten.
Outside, countless spectators stared, stunned.
What power was this?
Earlier, the terrifying Light-Time Three Tribulations had been enough to crush hope. But this…this surpassed all comprehension. Was this truly the strength of the Full Star Realm?
“Why,” muttered an old voice, “does this feel familiar?”
“Those runes, numbering twelve. The Heavenly Stems?”
“Could it possibly be…?”
“Impossible! This power should have vanished!”
“Star Dome Visage?”
In Black White Heaven, Shu Rang gazed in astonishment, stepping forward involuntarily.
Zhi Yu asked in confusion, “What power is this?”
Shu Rang spoke in a low voice, “The Twelve Heavenly Stems. If I’m not mistaken…no, this art should have vanished entirely from the universe. How could Star Dome Visage have it—and practiced by a mere child?”
He stared deeply into the screen. Facing this force, Wang Jie had no chance.
Who could have imagined the final duel of the Full Star Martial Meet would involve the legendary Twelve Heavenly Stems, the supreme power of Star Position?
What exactly had Star Dome Visage inherited?
Looking upon Ting Chen at this moment, everyone already knew the outcome. Even without directly facing her, one could clearly see her absolute dominance.
It was over.
On the stage, Ting Chen regarded Wang Jie coldly. She raised her hand and pressed downward. Though she remained still, that overwhelming aura descended like the sky itself, pinning Wang Jie helplessly to the ground.
For the first time, Wang Jie felt utterly powerless against someone of his own cultivation level.
He’d managed to find solutions against the Light-Time Three Tribulations, but this power…it felt as if it came from another world entirely.
Step by step, Ting Chen approached. “I told you,” she said, “you aren’t worthy.”
“The gap between you and me is as vast as heaven and earth.”
“I possess many powers, any one of which could end your life. I didn’t need to use this. But only with this strength can you truly understand how insignificant you are before us.”
“Give up your illusions, and never approach us again.”
“Wang Jie.”
“You are unworthy.”
Wang Jie lay on the ground, completely immobilized, the overwhelming aura pressing him down so heavily he couldn’t even lift his head. He clenched his teeth, fists tightening. His heartbeat slowed further; death crept closer with every breath.
If his head wouldn’t rise, then he’d force it, using Bone Motion Art and the tempered sword-threads within his body.
Little by little, Wang Jie raised his head and gazed upward at Ting Chen.
She stood high above, black boots planted firmly before him, strange runes flowing across her body with divine majesty. Droplets at her fingertips reflected the stars themselves, breathtakingly beautiful yet utterly cold.
Wang Jie stared at her fiercely, blood trickling from his mouth. Through gritted teeth, he whispered, “Unworthy? Before, perhaps I would’ve thought so. But now, I’ll finish the task Master gave me. None of you…will escape.”
Ting Chen narrowed her eyes. “You’re courting death.” Again, the deep aura crushed down upon him.
Boom!
Wang Jie’s back split open, flesh tearing apart as blood rapidly spread around him, staining everything scarlet.
Countless observers watched in sorrow. This was the end.
Yet Wang Jie raised his bloody finger with painful effort, drawing something upon the ground.
All eyes focused upon him. Could he still do something? It seemed impossible. Even at his peak, he couldn’t stand against the Ting Chen of this moment. What else could he hope to achieve?
Ting Chen didn’t stop him. She intended to crush Wang Jie’s pride completely, ensuring he’d never appear before the sisters again. An ant gazing at the sky was, after all, merely dreaming.
With the final stroke completed, Wang Jie smiled at Ting Chen, his voice faint but clear, “Have you…ever seen…the dead?”
Ting Chen froze, confusion filling her eyes.
Before she could react, her body stiffened. Music echoed in her ears, melodies from a world beneath the Nine Underworlds. A chill ran through her, draining the color from her face in an instant. Something was watching her.
That gaze rendered her motionless.
She couldn’t see it, couldn’t touch it, but she could hear it—feel it.
Her body, instincts, and senses screamed of danger from that unseen gaze.
Who was it?
Who was watching them?
This was the Starry Martial Meet, a place no outsider could influence. No matter how powerful, outsiders couldn’t interfere here.
Yet why could this gaze penetrate even here?
Just what was it?
No one could comprehend what Ting Chen was experiencing; only Wang Jie and she had been locked by that terrifying gaze.
Wang Jie felt the same chill as if plunged into a bottomless abyss. His body began to stiffen, yet his body had long been ruined; only Bone Motion Art kept him moving.
Now, fear was meaningless.
Ting Chen could not move, but he had to. He would move, rise, and defeat her. [Not worthy? Then I’ll show you the meaning of worthy!]
The Debt Slip, Qing Feng Unreturning Guest!
His bloodied, mangled body slowly rose under the astonished gazes of countless spectators. Struggling, shaking, he barely stood before Ting Chen.
Ting Chen’s pupils trembled. [Move—move! Why can’t I move?]
Instinct forbade her body from responding, as if confronting a force from another world.
[Yet, why can this man still move?]
Staring blankly, she watched Wang Jie step forward—one step, two steps, three steps—until he reached her. Then, leaning forward, he closed in, and kissed her.
The universe fell into complete silence.
Countless people stared in shock.
Ting Chen froze, feeling the bloodied figure press his lips to hers. Her already rosy lips turned crimson, stained by traces of blood.
It was Wang Jie’s blood.
That taste of blood mingled with his scent surged straight into her heart.
She stared blankly, [He—he—how dare he?]
Overwhelmed by fury, she broke free of her body’s instinctive paralysis, liquid energy flowing around her fingertips as she thrust her palm toward Wang Jie. At the very same moment, Wang Jie punched forward, fist and palm simultaneously landing on each other.
Half of Wang Jie’s body shattered instantly.
And Ting Chen, her heart pierced by the punch, was left with blood spurting from a gaping wound at her back, spilling onto the arena floor.
She stared in disbelief at Wang Jie. [My defense… was actually broken?]
Impossible.
The Twelve Heavenly Stems defense could never be broken by someone like him.
[Where did this power come from?]
But no matter how much Ting Chen puzzled over it, her life was fading, extinguished by that single strike through her heart.
And Wang Jie—his body was already shattered, rapidly approaching death. Yet, in his current state, even with half of his body destroyed, he did not immediately die. The connections within his body had long since vanished; only his head needed to remain intact, his insides stitched together by tempered sword threads.
Still, this state couldn’t last long.
As Ting Chen vanished, dying completely,
he, too, was nearing his end.
Under the stunned gazes of countless beings across the cosmos, Wang Jie forced himself upright with his remaining half-body. With a bitter smile, he raised his left hand, pointing skyward, and proclaimed, “The Starry Martial Meet begins ten years from now.”
“My name is Wang Jie.”
“My master is Shu Rang.”
As the words fell, his body slowly vanished.
He was dead.
The light-screen closed.
Countless spectators stared blankly into the void, unable to recover their senses for a long while.
The final battle of the Full Star Meet had surpassed everyone’s imagination, and its result was equally shocking.
With countless reversals, countless desperate struggles, that final silhouette would forever remain etched in many hearts, impossible to forget.
And that scarlet kiss as well.
In Black White Heaven, Wang Jie opened his eyes, instinctively checking his body. Only after confirming he was unharmed did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Rising to his feet, he turned and saw Shu Rang.
Shu Rang exclaimed with wonder, “You actually did it. Even your master didn’t think you could defeat Twelve Heavenly Stems. And that kiss was certainly direct.”
“Twelve Heavenly Stems?” Wang Jie asked, feigning confusion, deliberately avoiding any other mention; he had acted impulsively.
Shu Rang explained, “A type of cultivation method.”
Wang Jie chuckled awkwardly. To deal with something incomprehensible, he’d simply invoked something even more incomprehensible. He had only managed to win by deliberately provoking that hidden gaze; otherwise, even borrowing strength with the Debt Slip would have been useless. He would’ve been utterly immobilized.
“To tell the truth,” Wang Jie continued thoughtfully, “before this meet, your disciple never imagined the Full Star Realm had so many terrifying existences. Any one of them could probably be considered among the very strongest of Wandering Star Realm cultivators.”
Shu Rang laughed lightly, “Yet you still stood at the very peak. Go rest now. You’ve declared the Wandering Star Realm Meet in ten years’ time. Ten years pass quickly.”
“Yes,” Wang Jie agreed and left.
He joined Qing Zheng and the others, chatted briefly, then rested.
This martial gathering hadn’t lasted long, but his body and mind were utterly exhausted. He fell into a deep sleep.
In the Star Dome Realm, Ting Chen smashed things in a furious rage.
Outside, Ting He cautiously hid herself. [Elder sister truly is furious this time.]
Ting Can had already fled far away.
“Wang Jie, I’ll never forgive you, never…”
Countless beings throughout the universe discussed the shocking outcome of the Martial Meet finals. Many had lost their entire fortunes in wagers, cursing Wang Jie furiously.
Yet there were just as many whose gazes eagerly turned toward the stars.
Only ten more years remained until the Wandering Star Realm Meet.
[That hateful Wang Jie, making everyone wait ten years! Wouldn’t it have been better to begin immediately?]
But ten years was only ten years; they could afford to wait.
On this day, Black White Heaven received two visitors. As the pair walked along the Sect Encircling Corridor, disciples of Black White Heaven watched them cautiously.
A Hundred-Star Elder stepped forward, his face stern as he asked, “Who are you to enter our sect uninvited? Are you aware of the consequences?”
Both arrivals were young men.
The one in front smiled faintly and said, “Gu Qing He, here to pay a visit.”
The Hundred-Star Elder’s expression changed immediately. “You—you’re Gu Qing He?”
Seeing the young man clearly, the elder swiftly informed the sect.
Not long after, Jun Qian, Realm Lord of the White Realm, personally appeared. Facing Gu Qing He, his expression calm, he said, “So it’s one of the former Star Guardians of Tian Cang. May I ask why you’ve entered my Black White Heaven uninvited?”
Gu Qing He slowly replied, “To pressure the sect, to suppress your people.”