Chapter 166: No Benefit (Request Subscription)

Underwater, Xu Jin gasped heavily, enclosed within Ji Hongli's aquatic domain.

The power of the fourth-rank Dawn Emblem, having been nurtured, was far greater than Xu Jin had imagined.

And it was an area-effect ability.

Xu Jin had only been underwater for an instant, yet he was still injured.

The rain-curtain protective starlight, already reinforced with forty percent of his star power, shattered in an instant.

The blazing light of Dawn had already struck Xu Jin's Six Directions Arm Shield; had Ji Hongli not swiftly dragged him beneath the surface at the critical moment, his third-rank supreme arm shield would have been destroyed again.

The water's surface was now beginning to boil.

It must have been boiled by the Dawn's blazing light.

Feeling the heat, Ji Hongli dragged Xu Jin deeper.

"Prepare for battle—I suspect they'll launch a direct assault soon! When they charge into the pool, stick close to me. The strongest fourth-rank has already been killed; the second-strongest, the purple-winged alien at Nascent Star fifth layer, is severely wounded.

We have a very high chance of escaping alive," Xu Jin instructed.

Previously, these fourth-rank experts hadn't launched a direct assault not merely because of the thirty-meter-deep pool.

The more important reason was their unwillingness to pay a price.

Ji Hongli, a top-tier genius at Nascent Star fourth layer, held a massive advantage underwater; Xu Jin estimated she could easily slay top-tier geniuses at Nascent Star seventh or eighth layer—otherwise, Tian Lie wouldn't have summoned reinforcements.

When fourth-rank Nascent Star experts entered the water, their strength diminished significantly.

For instance, Zi Yang at Nascent Star seventh layer, if he sacrificed everything, could certainly kill Ji Hongli underwater—but he would pay a heavy cost.

Naturally, they chose the clumsy method that required little sacrifice.

But now, with Zi Yang dead, the remaining purple-winged aliens would certainly launch a desperate assault.

The reason was simple—military law!

When Xu Jin first entered the third-rank Purple Wind Star Domain, he had been shocked by the fanatical offensive posture of the Purple Wind Star Domain's troops.

Even after their commander died, they didn't break—they attacked Xu Jin like madmen.

The reason was the Purple Wind Star Domain's brutally harsh military law: if a superior died, it was the inferior's failure, punishable by death; if they killed the enemy, their death sentence was commuted; if they failed, even if they returned alive, they'd be executed!

This was intelligence Xu Jin obtained after interrogating Wen Meng.

Based on this discovery, after the chaos subsided and the purple-winged troops realized what had happened, they would inevitably launch a suicidal assault on the pool—until death!

Ji Hongli, holding Xu Jin from behind, nodded vigorously.

"Bring Zi Yang's corpse over."

In the next instant, Xu Jin moved forward, instinctively looting the body—he found a bundle, but didn't dare open it, fearing water damage.

Yet through his spiritual sense, he detected numerous elixirs inside—likely current-era elixirs, probably given by Tian Lie.

There were also over twenty fourth-rank Star Jade Tablets, and two fifth-rank Star Jade Tablets!

As for star weapons and armor, they had already been destroyed by the Dawn's blazing light.

Starlight like blades, Xu Jin instantly excavated a fourth-rank upper-tier star core; the moment he pulled it out, he knew it was an upper-tier fourth-rank star core.

At the same instant, the Can Dou Platform's starlight flickered faintly.

With Ji Hongli beside him, Xu Jin couldn't test it immediately—he stowed it in his backpack.

Blood began to spread from Zi Yang's corpse.

But Ji Hongli gently waved her hand—a water bubble instantly formed, enveloping the blood and corpse, then fixed it to the side.

This underwater technique was truly formidable.

Suddenly, Xu Jin remembered the other protective star pattern he had obtained on the Thunder Ray star core—the Water Ward. He'd have to find a chance to test it.

If he acquired the Water Ward, would his combat ability underwater increase dramatically?

Thinking of this, Xu Jin suddenly decided—not later.

He activated his will, immediately swapped out the Thunder Ray star core and replaced it, then obtained the Water Ward's protection.

Almost the instant he put it on, the discomfort of being underwater vanished completely, replaced by comfort.

It felt exactly like a fish in water.

Xu Jin felt an urge to swim freely.

But since he had no prior Water Ward ability, he didn't rush to test it—he remained in Ji Hongli's embrace, quietly waiting for the enemy to descend.

When battle came, Ji Hongli wouldn't pay much attention to him; then he could use the Water Ward without issue.

Still, being held by a tall, beautiful woman with soft, warm limbs—physically and otherwise—it was delightful.

For an instant, Xu Jin was almost entranced.

He hoped the attacking enemies would take longer to come down.

Ten breaths.

A hundred breaths.

Half a watch.

A full watch passed, yet not a single enemy descended.

This left Xu Jin deeply puzzled.

What was happening?

Were the enemies preparing a massive move?

Or waiting for reinforcements?

In an instant, Xu Jin's heart tightened—if the enemy summoned new reinforcements and brought another Nascent Star mid- or late-layer expert, they'd be in dire straits!

He had to go out and scout.

He told Ji Hongli; she immediately embraced him, like a mermaid, and with a gentle motion, carried him toward the surface.

At the edge of the waterweeds, they slowly surfaced—noises, curses, and roars filled the air.

After listening for a moment, Xu Jin suddenly understood.

It was Tian Lie arguing with the remaining Nascent Star experts.

Tian Lie demanded these Nascent Star experts send troops underwater for a direct assault.

But since Zi Yang's death, these purple-winged Nascent Star aliens no longer listened to Tian Lie—first, they had received no benefits; second, Xu Jin's Dawn Blazing Light had been terrifying!

Even their Lord Zi Yang was dead.

What were they supposed to do?

Go die?

Previously, Lord Zi Yang had already calculated: if these early-stage Nascent Star purple-winged aliens forcibly entered the water, they'd very likely be killed by that girl who specialized in water star arts.

Now there was another unknown terror.

Whoever goes is a fool!

What about military law?

Military law applied only to ordinary aliens.

These Nascent Star purple-winged experts were the Purple Wing Royal Clan.

Military law didn't touch them.

Survival came first!

Moreover, Lord Zi Shuo at Nascent Star fifth layer was severely wounded and urgently needed treatment—they wanted to withdraw.

But Tian Lie brandished the purple feather fragment to command them to assault, sparking a dispute!

Inside the Lower Star Palace, Xu Jin's Ming Ji Star Pattern slowly rotated, sensing many different energies and emotions.

The strongest were from the four to five thousand ordinary alien soldiers.

Each was surrounded by fear, their pressure pushed to the limit.

Whether the sixty-odd Nascent Star officers who mysteriously died last night or the recently slain Lord Zi Yang, to these ordinary aliens, it was an overwhelming disaster.

The Purple Wing Royal Clan could return safely.

But they—each one might be executed under military law!

But the problem was, the enemy was too strong!

Even the Purple Wing Royal Clan couldn't defeat them, let alone these soldiers.

Under overwhelming fear and pressure, these ordinary aliens were like gunpowder barrels—ready to explode at any moment!

Xu Jin pondered, then wondered—should he add more fuel to the fire?

"When I strike, you attack those ordinary soldiers from underwater—we'll crush them from both sides!

If the Nascent Star experts chase me, you escape immediately.

I can handle these early-stage Nascent Star purple-winged aliens myself!" Xu Jin whispered.

Ji Hongli suddenly held Xu Jin tighter. "No—we fight together and escape together. If you're in danger, dive underwater—I can handle one or two Nascent Star experts there.

But outside, if I face even an early-stage Nascent Star expert, I'm very likely to be gravely wounded."

"Alright."

Xu Jin nodded. His form vanished instantly, slipping ashore in the last sliver of darkness before dawn. The army on shore was in utter chaos—the Nascent Star experts were arguing with Tian Lie; the Nascent Star-level troops had lost over half their number last night, and no one was on guard.

A few dozen breaths later, Xu Jin silently infiltrated the densest concentration of alien troops using his invisibility.

In the next instant, his spiritual force surged to its peak; the star power just replenished by the Can Dou Platform's starlight emptied by more than half in an instant!

Almost simultaneously, Tian Lie and the Nascent Star aliens turned toward Xu Jin's direction.

"Trouble!"

At that exact moment, the sky lit up again.

This time, what illuminated the sky was a rain of fire.

Xu Jin's newly learned Star Rain Art, empowered by a mid-tier fire source, became Fire Rain Art!

In an instant, thousands of fiery sparks suddenly appeared in midair, spiraling at high speed toward the dense ranks of the alien soldiers below.

In just a moment, the star force in Xu Jin's Middle Star Palace was completely drained.

Even the base star force cost of this Star Rain Art exceeded ten percent, and Xu Jin had furiously pushed his soul force to inject a maximum of eighty percent star force.

The star force in the Middle Star Palace was gone!

Spiral fire arrows rained down!

The soldiers below began screaming and fleeing!

Three early-stage Star Condensation experts spotted Xu Jin and immediately moved to charge him—but were halted by a warning from the severely wounded Star Condensation Fifth Layer, Zi Shuo: "Watch out for that technique just now!"

In an instant, the three early-stage Star Condensation Zi Yi aliens froze in place!

Under that Dawn Radiance attack, Lord Zi Yang was mortally wounded and died—Lord Zi Shuo was also gravely injured—what about them?

They'd likely be reduced to ash in a single strike!

Why risk their lives?

"Impossible!

Rest assured, that kind of attack—he could never use it twice!" Tian Lie quickly assured them.

A fourth-rank rune!

A fourth-rank supreme-grade rune with extraordinary power.

Tian Lie had recognized it.

Tian Lie was utterly astonished—how could it possibly have been brought in?

Even we couldn't bring in a fourth-rank rune, let alone a disciple of the National Dao Academy!

But it had undeniably appeared.

Tian Lie decided that once he returned, he must report this incident.

This matter was critical.

This was also why Tian Lie refused to pursue himself and instead let these Zi Yi aliens go after Xu Jin.

He was afraid.

What if it was still active?

Even he couldn't withstand the power of that Dawn Radiance attack.

His life was too precious to waste here.

But these Zi Yi aliens weren't fools.

At that very moment, Xu Jin's overwhelming Fire Rain Art struck, triggering the already overburdened soldiers' terror.

One by one, they roared, shouted, cursed, wept, and scattered in panicked flight.

Nearby troops, unaware of what had happened, were stirred by the sky-full of fire rain and their comrades' behavior, sparking a chain reaction.

They all fled instinctively!

Staying meant death; returning meant death too.

Better to flee—perhaps they'd survive.

In an instant, the entire army collapsed like water!

In truth, Xu Jin's Fire Rain Art caused little actual damage—its only strength was its vast area.

It merely triggered the soldiers' terror.

At the same instant, the early-stage Star Condensation Zi Yi aliens were stunned by the scene.

They never imagined the army would break!

The severely wounded Star Condensation Fifth Layer, Zi Shuo, who was being carried, suddenly spoke: "Forget it—retreat to the city, gather the scattered troops!

Otherwise, Huomucheng is finished!

Besides, Lord Zi Yang is dead—what benefit is there for us to stay here?"

That final sentence was the clincher.

All the benefits had been seized by Zi Yang—they'd only come here following his orders.

Now that Lord Zi Yang was dead, there were no benefits left.

So why stay?

They weren't fools!

The next instant, five early-stage Star Condensation experts lifted the gravely wounded Star Condensation Fifth Layer, Zi Shuo, into the air—five streaks of purple light flashed across the sky as they sped away.

The remaining dozens of Star Refining aliens also fled.

In mere breaths, thousands of troops scattered; the remaining elite all withdrew.

Tian Lie's face turned ashen!

Damn it, what a mess!

He understood Zi Shuo's implication—if there were more rewards, they might still fight for him.

But he himself had come to fight, with limited resources.

Most of his best items had already been given to Zi Yang.

To give more, he'd have to sacrifice his own life-saving treasures.

Tian Lie never imagined that the grand plan to seize Ji Hongli without paying any cost would end like this.

Suddenly, Tian Lie realized the danger!

The alien elites had fled.

But here, in the Chen Guo National Dao Academy, there were still two disciples!

If they were others, he might still have a chance to win.

But if it was Xu Jin…

The next instant, Tian Lie's pupils shrank.

Before him, starlight shifted—and a man emerged as if born from the dawn's horizon, striding toward him, surrounded by swirling starlight!

Xu Jin!

Tian Lie recognized him at once!

The number-one target assigned by the Star Lord!

The target to be killed: Xu Jin!

The next instant, Tian Lie's feet exploded with starlight, and he crushed a third-rank supreme-grade Moon Chaser Rune, attempting to flee!

If only Xu Jin were alone, he would have fought him fiercely, crushed the prodigy, and slain him—what a satisfying feeling!

But now, Ji Hongli was still here!

He had to be extremely cautious.

His life mattered!

Almost at the same instant, Xu Jin's feet erupted with starlight as he shot forward.

In that moment, Tian Lie was filled with utter horror!

He realized—without using the Moon Chaser Rune, Xu Jin's speed was nearly equal to his own.

The next instant, Xu Jin accelerated again, his body lancing forward like lightning.

Xu Jin had switched to another third-rank star core, gaining the protection of the Lightning Star Rune.

His speed instantly surpassed Tian Lie's!

The next instant, Xu Jin appeared directly above Tian Lie!

One palm slammed down!

Starfire spikes also erupted downward.

Tian Lie's palm burst into flame, instantly meeting Xu Jin's starfire spikes!

At the moment of collision, Tian Lie screamed again.

His flame was instantly incinerated by Xu Jin's fire, which then burned straight up his palms!

Xu Jin's fire-based star art was stronger than his!

Tian Lie's eyes widened in shock!

Utter disbelief on his face!

He was a practitioner of the Heavenly Sun Star Temple's exclusive secret star rune: the low-rank Fire Element Star Rune!

The power of his fire-based star art should far exceed others'!

But now…

In his shock, Tian Lie had no time to think further.

Xu Jin's starfire spikes struck in rapid succession—four punches, each driving Tian Lie backward.

The next instant, five starfire ropes erupted, wrapping Tian Lie tightly—purple flames instantly ignited around him, rapidly burning through the starfire ropes binding him!

The next instant, Xu Jin spun like a willow leaf, suddenly appearing behind Tian Lie, fingers slightly spread.

Flame Explosion!

A fist-sized ball of fire erupted directly at the back of Tian Lie's skull.

At the moment of explosion, the fire blazed to its brightest!

In the brilliant firelight, Tian Lie's already flickering protective starlight shattered—and his head was blown apart!

Tian Lie, the Heavenly Sun Star Temple's supreme Star Casting prodigy, dead!

(End of chapter)