Chapter 170: Three Kills (Requesting Subscriptions)

In the instant he was crushed by the headless corpse, Tao Tiancheng's world collapsed completely.

His living companions, Zhou Yuanguang and Wang Anye, became corpses in an instant.

No, one was not even a whole corpse—just chunks, charred at that; several pieces lay beneath Tao Tiancheng's feet.

The other was a corpse, its neck still hissing as blood spurted.

Tao Tiancheng's lips trembled unconsciously, his teeth chattering.

He had seen blood; he had killed men.

Logically, he should not be this terrified.

Yet his entire body began to shake with fear.

The reason was simple: in the past, no matter who he killed, he himself had never faced mortal danger.

But now, everything told him he stood on the razor's edge of death, face-to-face with annihilation.

The next instant, he might become a corpse himself.

This was primal, soul-deep terror.

"What's your name?" Xu Jin asked.

"T-Tao Tiancheng. Don't kill me! I'll do anything you want!"

"Really?"

Xu Jin leaned down with a cold sneer, instantly making Tao Tiancheng flinch.

Just as Tao Tiancheng nodded frantically, a searing pain struck the back of his neck—he went black and collapsed.

In the next instant, Xu Jin activated his Wenmeng Star Pattern, dragging the unconscious Tao Tiancheng fully into deep sleep, then began interrogating him directly.

Tao Tiancheng's voice, dreamlike, began to speak.

Interrogating a captive whose will had been utterly shattered with Wenmeng Star Pattern was effortless.

No need to enter his dreams.

Simply question him while he slept.

This was far easier than conventional interrogation.

Though Tao Tiancheng had claimed he'd confess anything, Xu Jin still had to discern truth from lies—laborious and exhausting.

Now, everything he said was true.

After a few questions, Xu Jin understood the full sequence of events.

It had indeed been planned—but it was an impromptu plan.

Tao Tiancheng's group encountered a squad of alien troops searching for invaders, and immediately produced the purple feather fragment bearing their king's aura—immediately gaining the alien force's cooperation.

They also received much information.

For instance, Zhang Shuo and He Yulan had already entered the Purple Wing aliens' royal court and instructed them to help locate their fellow disciples.

If they encountered any fellow disciples, they were to bring them to the royal city for assembly.

They had originally intended to head to the royal city, because though they'd located the position of Ying Ge's group of five, they lacked confidence in capturing them.

Now, encountering these alien troops searching for invaders, they seized the opportunity and used them as their vanguard.

The alien troops' own orders were to search for invaders.

Under Tao Tiancheng's guidance, they quickly found Ying Ge's group, then deliberately coordinated to lure them into an ambush.

Tao Tiancheng's group intended to reap the rewards without lifting a finger.

After all, they were five geniuses from the Chen Guo Dao Academy.

If someone truly fought to the death in the final moment, there might still be casualties.

So they waited patiently, letting Ying Ge's five be worn down—then moved in effortlessly once the enemy was exhausted.

The plan was sound.

Unfortunately, they had encountered Xu Jin.

Then, Xu Jin obtained one crucial piece of information from Tao Tiancheng.

The purple feather fragments were not all the same.

The two Jipin star-palace forging geniuses carried purple feather fragments with feather tips—higher in rank than those held by the others.

The purple feather fragments carried by these ordinary star-palace geniuses had only one function: when shown at a critical moment, the Purple Wing clan would not attack them.

But the two Jipin star-palace forging geniuses' fragments could, to some extent, represent the two star-palaces themselves.

That meant the purple feather fragments held by Tian Lie and Zhang Shuo granted them the authority to cooperate with the Purple Wing aliens.

Now Xu Jin finally understood why Tian Lie could cooperate with the fourth-rank Condensing Star seventh-layer Ziyang and the lord of Huomucheng.

It wasn't just the precious elixirs and promised rewards—behind it lay the promise of the Star Palace.

Suddenly, Xu Jin's pupils contracted, his expression shifting.

Then what would Zhang Shuo, the Jipin genius of Cangming Star Palace, do upon entering the Purple Wing royal court?

What could he do?

From this single clue, Xu Jin instantly conceived multiple possibilities!

Cooperation.

The most likely scenario: he would persuade the Purple Wing royal family to join forces against them.

Just as Tian Lie had done before.

What Tian Lie accomplished easily, Zhang Shuo could accomplish just as easily.

Worse still, Tian Lie had only partnered with a fourth-rank Condensing Star seventh-layer city lord, whose forces were limited.

But Zhang Shuo was going to the Purple Wing king himself.

The king was a fourth-rank Condensing Star ninth-layer lord—and worse, the forces he could mobilize were terrifying.

Lord Ziyang could summon only a few Condensing Star cultivators.

But this Purple Wing king could mobilize every Condensing Star expert across the entire third-rank Zifeng Star Region.

At that point, would Xu Jin and his group have any chance of survival?

If only Purple Wing Condensing Star experts pursued them, Xu Jin's group of seven might still survive through agile tactics and constant movement.

But if Star Palace disciples joined the hunt…

Every hour, they could receive location updates on Xu Jin's group, and with the speed of mid-to-late Condensing Star elites—especially since the Purple Wing royal family all wielded lightning-star techniques, moving with astonishing speed—

Total annihilation.

There was a real possibility of total annihilation.

At this thought, Xu Jin's face turned grim, his brows knotted into a deep " Chuan."

The Cangming Star Palace's underhanded move was ruthless.

Once deployed, it could wipe out every disciple of the Chen Guo Dao Academy.

And to wipe out the Chen Guo Dao Academy's disciples, the Cangming Star Palace had formed a deep alliance with aliens.

Bottomless.

In an instant, Xu Jin branded the Cangming Star Palace with this label.

Bottomless bastards—future caution was paramount.

"What star patterns do you know?" Xu Jin asked cautiously.

Twenty breaths later, Xu Jin shook his head in disappointment.

Boom!

Starlight erupted—Xu Jin shattered Tao Tiancheng's skull.

No value left.

Xu Jin had hoped Tao Tiancheng of the Cangming Star Palace might have learned some unique Cangming Star Palace star patterns.

He could have engraved them into his jade tablet, testing whether he could steal them.

But the result: the star patterns Tao Tiancheng knew were all common ones.

All the star patterns he'd learned were also known by the Chen Guo Dao Academy.

Even the fire-source pattern he'd learned was only beginner-grade—worse than Xu Jin's.

Xu Jin had learned mid-grade fire-source, fourth-rank level.

No unique star patterns at all.

But then again, it was normal.

Even within the Chen Guo Dao Academy, aside from the accidental Rain Curtain and Whale Devour patterns, Xu Jin had not learned any uniquely Chen Guo Dao patterns.

Even the spiral star pattern, which the Chen Guo Dao Academy led in development, he had only learned up to fourth-rank mid-level—he hadn't yet reached the higher tiers.

All factions remained extremely cautious in transmitting unique and high-rank star patterns.

This was likely to prevent exactly this scenario.

Old habit: search the corpses.

The elixir haul was substantial: three men gave Xu Jin five vials of Four-Xuan Fu-Xing Elixir, one vial of Yi-Qi Gui-Xing Elixir (three pills), five and a half vials of Superior Shen-Shen Elixir, four vials of Superior Liàn-Xing Elixir, and five vials of ordinary Zhu-Xing Elixir.

This replenished Xu Jin's cultivation resources significantly.

Additionally, he obtained two Yueyue Star Badges and seven beginner-grade Star-Healing Star Badges.

These beginner-grade Star-Healing Star Badges held considerable value—he could sell some upon returning.

He also acquired over seventy fourth-rank Star Jade Tablets, six fifth-rank Star Jade Tablets, and over a hundred third-rank Star Cores.

Xu Jin activated his intent, instantly converting the remaining five hundred third-rank Star Jade Tablets on the Can Dou Platform into starlight, then absorbed them.

The Can Dou Platform's maximum capacity for Star Jade Tablets, regardless of rank, was one thousand.

Xu Jin wasn't sure if this was related to the requirement of a thousand strands of starlight to ascend the Third-Rank Combat Platform, or some other reason—he could only make a note of it.

He'd see whether the number increased once he ascended to Fourth-Rank Combat.

As for the star cores, he could only put them in his backpack.

When Ji Hongli, Ying Ge, and the other six arrived, Xu Jin had just stripped the remaining Third-Rank Supreme Star Weapons off the three bodies.

Excluding the damaged ones, there were still five!

If they took them back, they could sell them for a good price!

These were Third-Rank Supreme Star Weapons—the kind produced by the Star Temple.

But they were hard to carry.

If slung on the back, they'd be too bulky.

"Big Brother, let me carry them for you—we'll give them back when we get back!" Wang Jiugao stepped forward willingly.

Xu Jin felt a surge of pleasure—this junior brother hadn't been saved in vain.

And Wang Jiugao's words jolted Ying Ge and the others out of their shock.

"Big Brother… did you kill all three of them?" Ying Ge, Niu Ju, Bu Xuxue, and Yin Mingzhang stared at Xu Jin in utter disbelief.

In contrast, Ji Hongli and Wang Jiugao looked perfectly calm.

They'd seen Xu Jin's performance before—killing these three single-handedly was just basic stuff for him!

"What else?"

Xu Jin looked at Ying Ge and the others, puzzled.

"N-nothing!"

Ying Ge swallowed hard, face filled with shock.

He'd previously seen Xu Jin kill a Star Refining ninth-layer alien with a single strike—he'd only assumed it was an ambush.

Even he could kill a Star Refining ninth-layer alien if he ambushed them!

But now—

Three Star Temple prodigies? Even if he ambushed them, he'd be dead!

He was truly impressed.

Suddenly, Ying Ge understood why Wang Jiugao kept calling Xu Jin "Big Brother."

Why even Ji Hongli, who was stronger than him, called him "Big Brother" too!

They'd been conquered by Xu Jin's power!

Xu Jin was still weighing how to inform everyone about Zhang Shuo's plan to summon Fourth-Rank experts from the entire Purple Wing Clan against them.

As he pondered, a distant rumble of thunder suddenly echoed across the sky.

When everyone looked up, they saw three streaks of purple lightning exploding repeatedly in the distance.

The next instant, the purple lightning exploded again—this time, closer.

"Purple Wing Royal Clan!"

Ying Ge shouted.

"They're probably coming for us—likely spotted us," Niu Ju said, then instinctively glanced at Xu Jin, only to realize Ji Hongli and Wang Jiugao and the others were already staring at Xu Jin, waiting for his orders.

Xu Jin didn't answer immediately—he fully activated the Mingji Star Pattern, sensing from afar.

After two breaths, as the purple lightning exploded four or five more times, Xu Jin finally sensed something.

"Three Fourth-Rank Condensing Star experts—likely all Condensing Star Initial Stage."

As he spoke, Xu Jin turned to look at his fellow disciples. "If we flee, at most three or four of us might escape—the slowest won't have a chance."

At these words, the disciples immediately grew tense.

Everyone feared Xu Jin's plan would be to flee—that would mean three people would be sacrificed!

"Wait quietly. If they're not coming for us, all's well.

If they are, or if they've spotted us—then fight."

"The strongest one, I'll handle.

The other two—you six, three against each, or just hold them off for a while," Xu Jin said.

At this, the six immediately perked up!

"I'll lead with Ying Ge—I, Wang Jiugao, and Niu Ju will take one; the rest with Ying Ge take another—any problems?" Ji Hongli shed her usual softness before Xu Jin and became sharp and efficient.

"No problems!"

"Good. Prepare for battle."

Five breaths later, the three streaks of purple lightning exploded directly before them—barely visible, they surged toward the group.

Xu Jin guessed—almost certainly—they'd been summoned by the scattered remnants they'd killed!

The next instant, Xu Jin exploded into Flying Star Step, shooting skyward toward the strongest of the three Fourth-Rank Purple Wing Royal Clan members—Condensing Star third-layer.

"Condensing Star fourth-layer? Bold. I'll take him!"

The lead Condensing Star third-layer Purple Wing roared, instantly unleashing a bolt of lightning toward Xu Jin.

Two layers of overlapping Rain Curtain Fire Shields surged forward, shattering one after another—but held the blow.

Instantly, Xu Jin exploded into Flying Star Step again, closing the distance to the Fourth-Rank third-layer Purple Wing to within twenty meters.

He unleashed his Soul Wave!

Xu Jin intended to strike them with Soul-Shattering—he had no intention of holding back!

But unexpectedly, this Fourth-Rank third-layer Purple Wing alien had immense battle experience—he suddenly sensed the terrifying Soul energy radiating from Xu Jin.

The terror of that Soul energy stunned him.

In his memory, even the Purple Wing Clan's own king didn't radiate such terrifying Soul energy!

Without hesitation—he used Thunder Burst!

Instantly retreated backward!

This annoyed Xu Jin slightly.

Soul-Shattering's range was considerable—but not infinite.

It wasn't a technique that ignored distance.

The distance of soul projection was the range of soul attacks.

After Foundation Establishment, soul projection extended two meters; each layer added two more.

Xu Jin's Soul Refining was now eighth-layer—his projection range was eighteen meters.

That was also the maximum range of his Soul-Shattering attack; the optimal range was around ten meters.

Xu Jin had planned to close the distance, unleash Soul-Shattering, and kill him in one blow—but this fool was too alert!

And now he was putting maximum distance between them—Xu Jin wouldn't catch up anytime soon.

Unless he used Thunder Burst Step!

Seeing this, Xu Jin sneered and unhesitatingly activated Thunder Burst Step!

BOOM!

Xu Jin's body flashed like a lightning serpent, appearing within five meters of the Condensing Star third-layer expert—before the latter could react, Soul-Shattering, consuming ten percent of Xu Jin's Soul energy, struck!

The next instant, the Purple Wing Royal Clan member screamed in agony, clutching his head, and plummeted from the sky.

Xu Jin chased after him, unleashed Flame Burst, and obliterated his skull.

Two breaths later, Xu Jin instantly shifted beside the group of Ying Ge and the others, who were struggling against the Condensing Star expert—Ying Ge, the main fighter, had already spat blood once.

Soul-Shattering struck again!

Flame Burst!

Second kill!

The third Condensing Star second-layer Purple Wing, surrounded by Ji Hongli and the others, saw his two companions slain, panicked, and turned to flee—but Ji Hongli's Water Serpent coiled around him, freezing his movement—Xu Jin arrived.

Flame Burst!

Third kill!

Within five breaths, with Xu Jin's help, all three Fourth-Rank Condensing Star Initial Stage experts were dead!

Ying Ge, Niu Ju, Wang Jiugao, and the others were stunned again.

These were Fourth-Rank experts!

How did they feel like chickens being slaughtered in Big Brother's hands?

This was too easy!

"Quickly search them—we must move immediately. We can't stay here!"

As Xu Jin spoke, he began pondering another question: Were these three Fourth-Rank Condensing Star experts a coincidence?

Or were they sent by Wang Cheng?

The former would be fine.

But if the latter—this would be terrifying!

(End of Chapter)