Chapter 135: Two Pieces (Request Subscription)

Before the altar behind the Chislin Royal Palace, Chi You, lord of the Chislin, sat cross-legged for three days without sleep, clutching the blurred divine statue in his arms, his bloodshot eyes fixed unblinkingly on the altar above.

He waited for his lifeline to arrive.

The envoy had promised: the thing he’d agreed to would arrive within seven days.

If counted by days, today was the seventh; if counted by hours, only a few more hours remained before the seven days were complete.

Once he obtained what the envoy had promised, Chi You would be reborn.

As for the Chislin tribe, given time, they too could be reborn.

Originally, his plan had been for him to break free and be reborn, while the Chislin tribe also achieved rebirth.

Now, it seemed the Chislin tribe would hardly welcome rebirth.

But that didn’t matter—so long as he himself broke free and was reborn, that was enough.

The walls of the Chislin Royal Palace had been built well; compared to the earthen walls protecting the Five Tribes, the four-meter-high walls were truly majestic.

Yet for Xu Jin, they were nothing more than a light leap away.

He hadn’t even used Star Force.

Even a lion fighting a rabbit gives his all.

Xu Jin was exactly like that now.

He hadn’t stormed in boldly; instead, he once again stealthily concealed himself and slipped in, searching for the Chislin Palace’s mid- to late-stage Star Cultivators.

After circling once, Xu Jin found no late-stage Star Cultivators at all; within the entire palace, only seven individuals could currently threaten him.

One Star Cultivator at the sixth level, two at the fifth, and four at the fourth.

As for the Chislin tribe’s early-stage Star Cultivators, Xu Jin paid them no mind—now that his own cultivation had broken through to the peak of Casting Star, he could obliterate them with a flick of his finger.

Lord Chi You remained extremely cautious.

He knew patrols were useless, and he knew he couldn’t split his elite forces.

Thus, all thirty-two elite Star Cultivators were gathered around the rear palace altar.

Xu Jin had seen this altar before in other tribes; he’d asked Chi Xiang, the young chief of the Huoli tribe, who said this altar had been used to seal the Star Gate, consuming many Star Jade Tablets.

What puzzled Xu Jin was: if the Star Gate was already sealed, why was Lord Chi You still lingering before this altar?

Last night, when Xu Jin had stormed in, Chi You had been right here before this altar.

What other purpose could it possibly serve?

It was clear now that scattered assassinations wouldn’t work.

Xu Jin crept forward with extreme caution, approaching the Star Cultivator at the sixth level at an excruciatingly slow pace.

When he closed the distance to ten meters, Xu Jin exploded into motion.

Intense Star Force rippled instantly into the air.

Ten meters was nothing—even without Flying Star Step, Xu Jin could cover it in an instant, yet he still used it.

The moment Xu Jin appeared, he was already behind the sixth-level Star Cultivator, and starlight flared violently.

Before the sixth-level Star Cultivator could react, the starlight slammed into his back.

With a starlight burst of twenty-five percent Star Force, one punch obliterated him.

Simultaneously, a star ring spanning over fifteen meters erupted outward.

All Star Cultivators around him staggered and fell; the early-stage Chislin warriors had their protective starlight shattered outright.

In that same instant, Xu Jin’s ten fingers struck in rapid succession.

Star arrows rained down.

Twenty-four elite early-stage Chislin warriors died in quick succession.

Strangely, Lord Chi You, the ninth-level Star Cultivator standing before the altar, remained utterly motionless.

He showed no reaction to what had happened, no emotion at the slaughter of his elite warriors.

Xu Jin instinctively sensed something was wrong, but he prioritized eliminating the other enemies first.

The next instant, Xu Jin surged forward to the front of another fifth-level Chislin elite, unleashing two bursts of starlight.

A twenty-percent starlight burst obliterated the fifth-level Chislin warrior.

At that very moment, Prince Chi Meng, standing in a corner near the altar, suddenly withdrew the Chislin Heart he’d been continuously channeling Star Force into.

In an instant, he leapt forward, swinging both arms in a wide arc as a flaming hammer materialized instantly and slammed into Xu Jin’s back.

The moment Prince Chi Meng withdrew the Chislin Heart, the Mingji Star Pattern in Xu Jin’s Lower Star Palace flashed brightly.

“Ninth-level Star Cultivator energy!”

The instant Xu Jin realized this, he sensed danger behind him and instinctively formed a star shield behind his back, pouring Star Force into it frantically.

But the moment the shield formed, Prince Chi Meng’s flaming great hammer struck.

The star shield shattered.

Xu Jin’s protective starlight, pre-charged with thirty percent Star Force, held against the blow.

The protective starlight rippled, dissipating over eighty percent of the impact.

Yet at the same moment, flames bloomed beneath Xu Jin’s feet, instantly burning through his remaining protective starlight—but by then, Xu Jin had already activated Flying Star Step, preparing to create distance.

The instant he moved, a second hammer slammed into his back.

Boom!

Xu Jin’s first-grade Star Weapon, the Crocodile Dragon Soft Armor, shattered piece by piece under the blow.

But Xu Jin’s explosive Flying Star Step absorbed some of the force.

Vast flames of Star Force surged into Xu Jin’s body, causing him to spew blood violently—but he successfully escaped the immediate peril.

In an instant, he flashed a hundred meters away; behind him, Prince Chi Meng, whose cultivation had broken through to ninth-level Star Cultivator, pursued like a shadow.

Xu Jin’s mind flickered, and Thunder Serpents erupted in rapid succession.

Three Thunder Serpents slammed into Prince Chi Meng’s head; his protective starlight trembled violently, and his speed dropped sharply.

The next instant, Xu Jin halted a hundred meters away, wiped blood from his lips, and fixed Prince Chi Meng with a cold, grim gaze: “Another ninth-level Star Cultivator? So you’ve been waiting here for me?”

Prince Chi Meng, gripping the flaming great hammer, stood firm a hundred meters away and laughed triumphantly at Xu Jin’s disheveled state.

“The prodigy of Chen Guo? Not so impressive after all?”

The remaining Chislin Star Cultivators now gathered around Chi Meng.

One fifth-level, two fourth-level, and eight early-stage Star Cultivators remained.

Without Prince Chi Meng, these men would be nothing but clay chickens and paper dogs before Xu Jin—but with him, they became a serious nuisance.

Within Xu Jin’s Lower Star Palace, the Mingji Star Core blazed brightly; Xu Jin now understood Prince Chi Meng’s strength.

Superior-grade Star Core.

Prince Chi Meng was likely a Superior-grade Casting Star cultivator.

His Star Force fluctuation was more than double that of the eighth-level Star Cultivators Xu Jin had slain—Chi Mu and Chi Dian.

No wonder he’d managed to injure Xu Jin.

But Xu Jin was curious: how had Chi Meng hidden himself from his Mingji Star Pattern and evaded its perception?

“Let’s test it again!”

The next instant, Xu Jin activated Flying Star Step.

He surged directly toward Chi Meng and the Star Cultivators behind him.

Simultaneously, Chi Meng and his followers charged toward Xu Jin.

At this moment, Xu Jin unleashed his full power: a star ring infused with forty percent Star Force erupted outward.

The eight early-stage elites were instantly shattered; the fourth-level Chislin warriors were severely wounded; the fifth-level warrior was blasted back three steps, spewing blood.

Even Prince Chi Meng was thrown backward.

In an instant, the numerically superior Chislin tribe became Prince Chi Meng fighting alone.

The next instant, Prince Chi Meng charged at Xu Jin; Xu Jin hurled his Star Cord, which instantly wrapped around the prince’s flaming great hammer.

Kite-ring tactic!

Prince Chi Meng’s ninth-level Star Cultivator strength was no joke—the moment the Star Cord wrapped around his hammer, flames erupted from the weapon, instantly burning through Xu Jin’s cord.

But Xu Jin had anticipated this; one Star Cord after another wrapped around Chi Meng’s flaming hammer, effectively pinning him in place.

A barrage of star arrows rained down on Prince Chi Meng, all easily shattered by him.

The next instant, Xu Jin’s high-speed star arrows suddenly slowed for a fraction of a second—then a star arrow radiating terrifying energy shot forth.

Chi Meng sensed it instantly, his face paled, and he abandoned the newly formed flaming hammer, summoning a single flaming longsword to slash at the star arrow.

The flaming sword shattered instantly; as the star arrow struck his body, his protective starlight broke, and armor materialized on his skin, blocking Xu Jin’s killing blow.

The next instant, Chi Meng was blasted skyward, spewing blood in a long arc.

At that very moment, Lord Chi You, who had been seated motionless beside the altar, finally reacted!

His face turned grim.

He had never imagined Prince Chi Meng could be wounded.

“Even a prince isn’t invincible!”

Xu Jin sneered, but didn’t press the attack—his previous strike had drained all fifty percent of the Star Force stored in his Middle Star Palace, leaving it empty.

Seizing this moment, Xu Jin summoned six strands of starlight from the Can Dou Altar; instantly, his Middle Star Palace’s Star Gathering Core was refilled.

At the same instant, Xu Jin lunged forward again, charging toward Prince Chi Meng.

Prince Chi Meng, however, retreated swiftly—retreating toward the altar.

At that very moment, the divine statue in Lord Chi You’s arms suddenly glowed faintly; above the altar, star clouds churned violently, and a small jade box fell from the swirling clouds.

Chi You erupted in ecstatic joy.

He leapt up and tucked the jade box into his bosom.

At the same instant, Chi Meng shouted, “Father, act now!”

Almost simultaneously, Chi You, Lord of the Chi Scale, was enveloped in terrifying starlight.

It was clearly a prearranged plan: should things turn worst, the father and son would join forces.

Two ninth-rank Star Refining experts striking together—no matter how talented the Chen Guo prodigy, he would be crushed.

At that very moment, Xu Jin, who had been charging forward, suddenly changed direction, sinking his mind into the Star-Picking Token: “Please, Great State Master, intervene!”

“Aaah!”

Almost at the same instant, Chi You, Lord of the Chi Scale, whose entire body was surging with star power, suddenly clutched his head and let out a piercing scream.

“State Master, spare—”

Boom!

Before he could finish begging, Chi You’s head exploded like a giant watermelon.

Prince Chi Meng, who had been staring at his father, froze in shock.

He knew about this.

His father, Chi You, had told him about it.

He had said the control over their lives rested with the Chen Guo State Master—that was why he rebelled.

He had even said that if the Chen Guo State Master wished him dead, he would die.

But imagination and reality are two different things.

To witness his own father’s head explode like a watermelon struck Prince Chi Meng with devastating force.

He was utterly stunned.

Just moments ago, he had planned to crush the Chen Guo prodigy with his father’s combined ninth-rank Star Refining power.

But how could this happen?

Boom!

Thunder roared through the air.

Prince Chi Meng, distracted for only a heartbeat, saw a bolt of lightning descend from the sky.

The lightning poured down like boiling water; in an instant, Chi Meng’s body stiffened, smoke rising from his skin.

His entire head had turned to charcoal.

Thunder Serpent!

Xu Jin had unleashed his Thunder Serpent, channeling six-tenths of his Middle Star Palace’s star power.

Maximum strike!

Instant kill!

Behind him, the three remaining Star Refining experts stood frozen in shock and terror.

Had their king and their prince just died?

One moment alive.

The next, dead.

One of them reacted quickly and tried to flee.

Xu Jin merely exploded forward with his Flying Star Step and slew him instantly.

Half a watch later, every single Star Refining expert within the royal court had been slain by Xu Jin—along with the Chi Scale warriors at Peak Foundation Establishment and late Foundation Establishment.

As for the other Chi Scale warriors, any who dared resist or raise a blade against Xu Jin were left alive—none.

This was war!

“How are you, Xu Jin? Are you alright?” The Star-Picking Token flashed with starlight—it was Great State Master Cheng Yuexiao, anxious for Xu Jin’s safety.

“Great State Master, I’m fine. I’ve broken through the Chi Scale royal court!”

“They did conceal their strength—Prince Chi Meng was at the peak of seventh-rank Star Refining, yet his combat power surpassed even eighth-rank. It cost me some effort.”

Xu Jin gave Great State Master Cheng Yuexiao a rough account, slightly downplaying the enemy’s strength.

After all, every last one of them was dead.

No witnesses left.

And no one would dig deeper into such matters.

A slight omission, then.

“Prince Chi Meng possessed combat power equivalent to eighth-rank Star Refining. Chi You was truly a master of long-term planning. Eight years ago, he paid me an additional five hundred fourth-rank Star Jade Tablets per year in tribute, in exchange for two high-grade Foundation Establishment Pills—originally for his son,” said Great State Master Cheng Yuexiao.

“Quickly search their bodies for the Chi Scale Hearts. Once found, refine them swiftly.”

“Otherwise, within half an hour, the Chi Scale Hearts—imbued with a thread of the Fire Radiance Star Realm’s stellar will—will autonomously choose a new master. And when they choose autonomously, they will 100% seek a native of the Fire Radiance Star Realm,” asked Great State Master Cheng Yuexiao.

Then Xu Jin recounted to the Great State Master the strange phenomenon he had witnessed above the altar.

“What?”

Great State Master Cheng Yuexiao was stunned. “No wonder they dared rebel—they found outside allies!”

In the autumn examination secret realm of Chen Guo, Cheng Yuexiao’s face was grim. There was one thing he did not say.

It was possible the Chi Scale clan had found outside allies—but it was also possible that outside forces had actively approached the Chi Scale clan.

If it were the former, the impact would be limited. But if the latter, the very foundation of Chen Guo might be threatened.

Soon, Xu Jin found one such item on Prince Chi Meng’s corpse, and another on Lord Chi You’s corpse—each matching the Great State Master’s description of a Chi Scale Heart.

“Two Chi Scale Hearts?”

In the next instant, Xu Jin followed the method taught by the Great State Master, dripping his own blood onto the two Chi Scale Hearts and began refining them.

(End of Chapter)