Chapter 174: All Belongs to Me (Request Subscription)

The stars before his eyes shifted, giving Xu Jin a nauseating sensation of weightlessness.

This weightlessness lasted only an instant, then vanished—suddenly, Xu Jin's feet touched solid ground.

The starlight dispersed, and Xu Jin realized he had landed inside a village.

Indeed, the Chaos Star Technique's instant hundred-li teleportation was random.

In the dead of night, Xu Jin's sudden appearance drew no attention from any alien race.

Swallowing a Grade-One Superior Stimulant Pill, Xu Jin flared his Thunder Wings and immediately used Thunder Burst Step to depart.

As for drawing attention?

Impossible!

Thunder Burst Step and Thunder Wings were the mark of the Purple Wing Royal Clan; even if the aliens here saw them, none would dare chase after him.

As he ran, Xu Jin used his Crimson Scale Heart to sense the positions of Ji Hongli, Ying Ge, and others.

A full day earlier, Xu Jin had sent them word to stay far from Purple Wing Capital City, far from the four major Purple Wing cities, and to roam the fringes of the Purple Wind Star Domain.

Now, with a mere flick of his senses, he found they had reached the maximum distance his Crimson Scale Heart could detect.

In the next instant, Xu Jin sent them another warning through his Crimson Scale Heart.

He told them to maintain high-speed movement from this moment until the Selection Battle ended—never linger in one place, and keep distancing themselves from the capital and major cities.

He also informed them that from now on, their greatest enemies would no longer be Star Temple disciples, but fourth-rank aliens from the third-rank Purple Wind Star Domain.

Xu Jin strongly advised them to move toward Huomucheng and circle around its perimeter.

A dozen instants later, Xu Jin received a brief reply from Ji Hongli.

They would follow Xu Jin's advice and move toward Huomucheng.

With the reply, Xu Jin finally exhaled in relief.

The strongest lord and deputy lord of Huomucheng had both been killed by Xu Jin.

And because the lord's position was vacant, Huomucheng was the first to descend into internal chaos.

Circling around Huomucheng offered the highest safety margin.

After sprinting three hundred li with Thunder Burst Step, Xu Jin found a relatively safe spot, sat down, activated the Mingji Star Pattern to set up vigilance, then immediately activated the Wengmeng Star Pattern, pulling himself into a dream and falling into deep sleep.

The previous battle had drained Xu Jin's soul force immensely.

Xu Jin's soul force was now less than three-tenths of its full capacity.

Compared to his star force, which had only dropped to three-tenths, soul force recovered far more slowly.

Star force—if Xu Jin wished—he could draw it instantly from the Star Platform.

But after consuming that Grade-One Superior Stimulant Pill, his recovered soul force amounted to only half a tenth.

If he encountered a fourth-rank powerhouse now, it would be dangerous.

So even though the situation was extremely perilous, Xu Jin had to prioritize restoring his soul force.

One and a half minutes later, Xu Jin awoke precisely on schedule.

One and a half minutes of deep sleep, under the combined effects of the Wengmeng and Chengpo Star Patterns, restored his soul force from three-tenths and a half to five-tenths.

This slightly increased Xu Jin's sense of security.

The Mingji Star Pattern was active—no powerful aura detected.

No thunderlight flickered in the distant sky.

This surprised Xu Jin.

Had the Purple Wing clan's experts not chased after him immediately?

Did they not know the function of the Thunder Feather Heart?

Or was it something else?

Since they hadn't caught up yet, Xu Jin was temporarily safe.

Xu Jin immediately pulled out the two Thunder Feather Hearts he had just seized; his mind sank slightly into one—and his face lit up with delight.

His judgment was correct.

These two Thunder Feather Hearts were the same kind of thing as the Crimson Scale Heart.

The moment his mind sank in, Xu Jin instantly felt the favor of this realm's cosmos.

This was the Star Will of the third-rank Purple Wind Star Domain.

Xu Jin hadn't expected that Zi Hao possessed two!

No wonder he was so difficult to defeat.

Even at the moment his spirit was split and his soul force severely wounded, he still managed to withstand Xu Jin's cultivated Dawn Seal, the Spiral Blade Seal.

These two Thunder Feather Hearts must have played a crucial role.

And thank goodness there were only two.

If he had three, after the Thunder Feather Hearts underwent their stage-up transformation, Xu Jin would likely have been defeated today.

One could only say this fellow's ability to become king of the Purple Wing clan stemmed from extreme cunning.

He had acquired two Star Wills and still concealed them from the Azure Star Temple.

Had the Azure Star Temple known Zi Hao possessed two Thunder Feather Hearts, they would have killed him without hesitation to seize them.

In the next instant, Xu Jin's mind surged—vast soul force flooded into one of the Thunder Feather Hearts, and he began fully refining it.

Not merely to enhance his strength.

The key point was: once Xu Jin refined this Thunder Feather Heart, he would fully integrate into the third-rank Purple Wind Star Domain, gaining control over a portion of its Star Will.

The previously troublesome resistance from the Star Will would vanish entirely.

That is, after refining this Thunder Feather Heart, as long as Xu Jin concealed himself, even a fourth-rank powerhouse from the third-rank Purple Wind Star Domain flying directly above his head would fail to detect him.

As long as their soul cultivation was inferior to his, they couldn't detect him.

But Ji Hongli, Ying Ge, and the others would be in danger.

That's why Xu Jin had issued that warning.

Earlier, when Xu Jin refined the Crimson Scale Heart in front of the Grand Preceptor, he dared not refine it fully—especially his soul force, which he used only sparingly, so it took two minutes to complete.

But now, Xu Jin unleashed his Soul Refinement Eighth Layer soul force in full, mingled with star force, surging in like a tidal wave.

The moment Xu Jin refined even a trace of the Thunder Feather Heart, the Star Will's resistance toward him vanished completely.

A hundred instants later, Xu Jin's Mingji Star Pattern trembled slightly—distant thunderlight flickered.

Xu Jin boldly concealed himself and suppressed his aura.

A few instants later, four Star Condensation experts flashed past high above his head without pausing.

Xu Jin couldn't help but smile—success!

His plan had already succeeded in large part.

But to achieve his goal of bringing all his fellow disciples back alive, more critical steps remained.

Perhaps because these Thunder Feather Hearts were Star Wills of the third-rank star domain, refining them took slightly longer than the Crimson Scale Heart.

Xu Jin spent a full half-hour to completely refine both Thunder Feather Hearts.

During that time, at least three Purple Wing search-and-kill squads flew over or near him—none detected Xu Jin.

The two Thunder Feather Hearts now rested inside Xu Jin's Upper Star Palace, one on each side of his Soul Star, as if giving it Thunder Wings.

The mid-grade Crimson Scale Heart, meanwhile, rested quietly beneath his Soul Star, its crimson glow illuminating the entire Upper Star Palace.

After refinement, Xu Jin clearly felt that whenever he deliberately activated thunder-based star arts, the two Thunder Feather Hearts became exceptionally active.

The power of thunder-based star arts had certainly increased significantly.

Having completed refinement, Xu Jin was no longer in a hurry.

He activated the Wengmeng Star Pattern again, sinking into deep sleep.

This sleep lasted nearly half an hour.

Precisely, five minutes.

Five minutes of deep sleep restored Xu Jin's soul force to peak.

Xu Jin was even more delighted to discover that his heavily depleted star force had also spontaneously recovered two-tenths during sleep.

The minor injuries he had sustained were completely gone.

This was the benefit of the Unleaked Primordial Star Body—surprise hidden in the ordinary!

Swallowing a refined Grade-Four Star-Replenishing Pill and drawing in six beams of Star Platform light, Xu Jin fully restored his middle and lower star palaces' star force.

In the next instant, Xu Jin shot skyward, thunderlight exploding beneath his feet as he raced swiftly toward Purple Wing Capital City.

After several uses of Thunder Burst Step, Xu Jin was delighted to find the two Thunder Feather Hearts had directly increased the base power of his thunder-based star arts by thirty percent.

According to Liu Qingzhu, a Star Will, such as a low-rank thunder Star Will, was equivalent to a low-rank Thunder Source plus a low-rank Thunder Form.

Two meant Xu Jin now had two layers of low-rank Thunder Sources and Thunder Forms stacked onto his thunder-based star arts—power increased substantially.

Xu Jin's speed surged again.

Previously, Thunder Burst Step combined with Thunder Wings allowed a top speed of 310 meters per second; now, it surged to nearly 400 meters.

At this speed, even fourth-rank Purple Wing clan experts with Thunder Wings could not catch him.

So Xu Jin made no effort to hide—he blasted forward with Thunder Burst Step straight toward the Purple Wing capital.

He had hoped to encounter low- or mid-rank Purple Wing clan members along the way; with his current full state, he could kill one or two, play cat-and-mouse, and drain their strength.

Unexpectedly, his luck was excellent—he encountered none.

Of course, the greater likelihood was that fourth-rank experts had been dispatched to hunt Xu Jin and had already searched far away.

Xu Jin, having turned back like a returning spear, had walked into a semi-vacuum zone.

As he neared the Purple Wing Capital City, within a hundred li, Xu Jin slowed his speed and concealed his form.

The next step of this plan is crucial.

Only when it is completed will Ying Ge, Ji Hongli, and the others be truly safe.

Zi Yi Wangcheng has been placed under total lockdown—not just externally, but internally as well.

After concealing himself, Xu Jin slipped inside effortlessly.

From the ground to the sky, from Canxia to the Zhuxing Realm and then the Lianxing Realm, Zi Yi Wangcheng was encircled by a three-dimensional, all-encompassing lockdown.

Within the Wangcheng, people were terrified, and every faction stirred with restless ambition.

Xu Jin had already realized what had happened: high-ranking members of the Zi Yi royal clan had sealed the news of Zi Hao's execution.

That meant the struggle for the new Zi Yi throne had already begun!

But for now, it remained confined within Zi Yi Wangcheng.

One could say this high-ranking Zi Yi clan member's tactics were correct.

Seal the news, gain the first move.

But he misjudged one thing.

The elite troops he used to lockdown Zi Yi Wangcheng had deep, tangled ties with the various noble families inside the Wangcheng.

Many mid- and high-ranking officers in the army were themselves born into these noble families of the Wangcheng.

Probably due to the urgency of the situation, there had been no time to sort things out.

As Xu Jin slipped past during his infiltration, he had already spotted several instances of patrol officers in lockdown duty secretly conversing with nobles.

Many Zi Yi nobles had already guessed the truth—the King might be in trouble.

But it was only speculation.

Without evidence or strength, none dared act rashly.

As he had stealthily made his way here, Xu Jin realized he needed to add fuel to this new throne struggle.

But first, he needed to check on his old friends.

Zhang Shuo and He Yulan of Cang Ming Star Hall.

He arrived at the embassy.

Xu Jin noticed the fourth-rank Ningxing cultivators guarding the embassy had already been withdrawn.

Even the elite Lianxing late-stage guards were gone.

They had been replaced by six Lianxing mid- and early-stage attendants.

More strangely still, someone was petitioning to meet Zhang Shuo—having kowtowed before him, they presented gifts and spoke with extreme reverence, uttering meaningless words.

After listening for a while, Xu Jin finally understood.

Defection!

This must be a Zi Yi noble with exceptionally sharp intelligence, sensing something amiss and coming early to pledge loyalty to Cang Ming Star Hall, hoping to secure its future support!

A classic turncoat.

And not just one.

Outside the embassy, another person was still waiting to be received by Zhang Shuo and He Yulan.

This greatly pleased Zhang Shuo.

Xu Jin wasn't in a hurry; he quietly waited as Zhang Shuo finished receiving this first wave of politically astute nobles.

Inside the embassy hall, Zhang Shuo stretched luxuriously, looked at the three bags of gifts he had just received, then frowned and said, "Sister, what exactly has happened in Zi Yi Wangcheng?

Why have these Zi Yi nobles suddenly come to us?

Surely Zi Hao hasn't run into trouble?" Zhang Shuo wasn't foolish—he had already connected the dots.

"Unlikely!

Zi Hao's cultivation base is unmatched throughout the entire third-rank Zi Feng Star Region!

There must be some other development." He Yulan said.

"After dawn, we'll go see Zi Hao again! If he dares refuse again, we'll storm in—he won't dare touch us." Zhang Shuo said.

"We'll follow whatever Brother says."

Zhang Shuo was very pleased with his sister's compliance. Looking at the three bags of gifts, he suddenly smiled and said, "Sister, these three bags of tribute are all fifth-rank Star Jade Gui. Let's split them evenly."

"No, that won't do. They all came for your reputation, Brother. You keep them all." He Yulan said.

Seeing He Yulan so considerate, Zhang Shuo was even more satisfied—but he couldn't possibly keep them all; he had to give her some.

"Fine, you take one bag, I take two."

"I have a better idea: let all three bags go to me." Suddenly, a voice rang out abruptly from within the room, startling Zhang Shuo and He Yulan into standing up.

"Who?!"

Zhang Shuo and He Yulan's star energy surged, rippling outward in all directions.

"Me!"

Xu Jin's form materialized.

"Xu Jin!"

Zhang Shuo and He Yulan's pupils shrank simultaneously; in the next instant, they attacked Xu Jin together.

BOOM!

A fist-sized burst of flame exploded directly before the charging He Yulan.

Sensing the terrifying power within this flame explosion, He Yulan's expression turned utterly terrified—in an instant, she unleashed every defensive technique she could: Fire Shield, Fire Light Dome, Flame Explosion.

All for defense!

But it was all futile.

The smallest-range flame explosion obliterated He Yulan's attacks, her Fire Shield, her Fire Light Dome—and simultaneously, her head.

Zhang Shuo watched in horror as his attack vanished before Xu Jin's Fire Shield.

His full-power strike had merely caused the rain-curtain Fire Shield to ripple twice!

How was this possible?

Zhang Shuo's pupils contracted sharply—then he saw He Yulan casually slain by Xu Jin.

Realizing the truth, Zhang Shuo turned and fled.

BOOM!

Five lightning chains shot out with blinding speed, binding Zhang Shuo tightly.

"Zhang Shuo, surrender. Answer my questions honestly, and I might spare your life," Xu Jin commanded.

"Dream on!"

Zhang Shuo resisted violently, his body erupting in brilliant yellow starlight.

Xu Jin frowned.

He suspected that Zhang Shuo, a top-tier Zhuxing cultivator, had learned one of the rarer Star Patterns from the Cang Ming Star Hall and wanted to test it.

He hadn't expected Zhang Shuo to be so stubborn.

A vast spiritual soul surge rose—he unleashed Po Sha.

Zhang Shuo immediately clutched his head and screamed, blood spurting from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

Xu Jin's Wen Meng Star Pattern seized the opportunity to forcefully invade.

He tried to force Zhang Shuo into unconsciousness for interrogation.

After several breaths, Zhang Shuo's eyes remained wide open!

Failed.

In the next instant, gaining a moment of respite, Zhang Shuo's spiritual soul surged again—he launched a Po Sha attack directly at Xu Jin.

In Xu Jin's Upper Star Palace, the Zhen Yi Stele blazed brightly, causing Zhang Shuo's Po Sha attack to vanish soundlessly.

Zhang Shuo's Lianxing second-rank spiritual soul cultivation had zero effect on Xu Jin.

But Zhang Shuo remained unaware—he kept launching wave after wave of Po Sha attacks at Xu Jin.

This made Xu Jin frown.

Truly ignorant of death.

He had only wanted to capture Zhang Shuo alive; he hadn't expected this fool to use the moment to resist.

Fine.

Judging by his performance, he hadn't learned any particularly outstanding Star Pattern.

In the next instant, a lightning arrow shot out, instantly blasting Zhang Shuo's head apart.

In an instant, Zhang Shuo lost all life.

At this moment, the Lianxing guards outside the door heard the commotion and rushed in.

Xu Jin didn't even turn around—he flicked his fingers repeatedly.

In the next instant, six corpses collapsed with soft thuds.

Just ordinary alien cultivators of mid- to low-grade Lianxing third- and fourth-rank—no threat at all!

Xu Jin then began searching the bodies.

He obtained three Yue Yue Star Seals, six initial-grade Star Healing Seals, and various elixirs, mostly for cultivation and recovery.

No Lianshen Golden Core or similar items were found on Zhang Shuo.

Given his status as a Cang Ming Star Hall envoy, he wouldn't need to carry such things.

Tian Lie had them because he came from Tian Yang Star Hall and needed them to bribe alien races.

An unexpected bonus: Zhang Shuo was surprisingly wealthy—he carried ten fifth-rank Star Jade Gui and thirty fourth-rank Star Jade Gui. By comparison, He Yulan had almost nothing.

Those three gift bags naturally became Xu Jin's.

Each bag contained five Gao Jie Star Jade Tablets and fifty Gao Jie Star Jade Tablets—quite a substantial gift, now all belonging to Xu Jin!

This significantly increased Xu Jin's wealth.

This brought the number of Gao Jie Star Jade Tablets in Xu Jin's possession to fifty-one, and the number of Ji Jie Star Jade Tablets to a staggering six hundred.

It was already a considerable fortune.

There was nothing else inside or outside the embassy.

Since killing the guards and Zhang Shuo and He Yulan, no one had come near the embassy—apparently, it had been abandoned for now.

What about the royal palace?

How strong were its defenses?

Inside the royal palace still lay one thing Xu Jin longed for.

(End of Chapter)