Chapter 252: Explode

"Xu Jin, the sequel! You haven't come to me in so long—I want the sequel, hurry up and give it to me." The voice of Lei Ling exploded like a detonation within Xu Jin's mind.

Xu Jin ignored it outright.

This guy can't tell the difference between the big and little kings.

Beside him, Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao also looked puzzled—today, Lei Ling seemed unusually sluggish.

After pressing a few more times and realizing Xu Jin was completely ignoring him, Lei Ling finally recognized it was his own attitude, and quickly apologized.

He had already been scolded by Xu Jin several times over this very issue.

"First, do as Grand Master demands, then tell me slowly."

After Xu Jin's instruction, the previously sluggish Lei Ling suddenly regained its agility and swiftly stamped each Star-Picking Token with its unique starlight mark.

"All of you, from this moment on, your Star-Picking Tokens must not leave your persons, nor may they be stored in a Numinous Space—otherwise, Lei Ling cannot record your points, and you'll have no recourse."

Dai Guanwen, the Viceroy's son and supervisor, loudly reminded everyone.

He then turned to Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao. "Grand Master Cheng, which star domain should we open first?"

"Open the Star Gate of the Fifth-Rank Spiritual Martial Star Domain," Cheng Yuexiao said, handing over a Star Domain Marker.

In the next instant, Dai Guanwen threw out seven jade tablets, which immediately began spinning rapidly around the Star Domain Marker. A torrent of silver radiance surged from Dai Guanwen's body, instantly enveloping the seven jade tablets and the Star Domain Marker.

Amid strange ripples, within Xu Jin's Mingji Star Pattern perception, the seven star-jade tablets dissolved in an instant into vast energy, while the spatial power around Dai Guanwen continuously intensified.

When the spatial fluctuations around Dai Guanwen reached their peak, a vortex-shaped Star Gate rapidly coalesced—and after a hundred breaths, it stabilized completely.

"Done."

As he spoke, Dai Guanwen casually tossed five jade tablets, each engraved with seven small slots, to the group about to enter the Fifth-Rank Spiritual Martial Star Domain.

"Each slot represents one day. Before the final slot dims, you must return to the Star Gate's opening point—or don't blame me if you can't come back."

"Also, once you all land, the Star Gate will vanish entirely into the void. When you wish to return, the timing jade tablet in your hands will guide you toward the Star Gate's location," Dai Guanwen explained.

"Thank you, Young Master Dai."

"Grand Master, we're off."

In the next instant, Master Dong Zhao and the others bowed to the crowd and leapt first into the Fifth-Rank Star Gate.

Meanwhile, Dai Guanwen began opening the next Fourth-Rank temporary Star Gate.

Xu Jin took the opportunity to chat with Lei Ling.

"You're involved in this Lougong War too?"

"Exactly! This time I'm the recorder—I think I can help you, Xu Jin. Give me more of the sequel, please. I'm about to go mad." Lei Ling said.

"You can help me?"

Xu Jin paused. "If you truly can help me, I won't mind writing you a few more chapters of the sequel."

"I definitely can! How about this: every time I help you, you give me one more chapter?" Lei Ling exclaimed happily.

"Fine."

"Once I enter the Third-Rank Star Domain, every time you provide me with the location of a Fourth-Rank alien within it, I'll give you one more chapter of the sequel," Xu Jin said.

"I can't provide that."

"What about the location of the Fourth-Rank Royal Clan within the Third-Rank Star Domain? The strongest one? That shouldn't be hard—give me one such location, and I'll write you five new chapters right now," Xu Jin tempted.

"I—I can't provide that either. Xu Jin, can we change it? I can't locate any alien information within the Third-Rank Star Domain." Lei Ling pleaded.

"Then when I enter other star domains later, can you give me the positions of other Star Hall disciples?"

"I can't do that either."

"Can you give me real-time updates on other Star Halls' point changes?"

"I can't do that either."

"You can't do this, you can't do that—what can you actually do? What good are you?"

"And you still want sequels? Dream on!" Xu Jin snapped.

He'd hoped Lei Ling could help him cheat a little—now it seemed utterly useless.

Lei Ling was nearly in tears.

The sequel of Journey to the West Xu Jin had given him had left him utterly distracted—he'd fully immersed himself in the rebellious, parentless, heaven-born Great Sage Equal to Heaven, because Lei Ling felt he was somewhat like the Great Sage.

"I really can help you! Truly, believe me—once I help you, just give me a little more of the sequel, okay?" Lei Ling pleaded.

"Then what exactly can you help me with?"

"Within alien star domains, the starlight I've embedded can only record changes to your Star-Picking Token. But periodically, I can inform you of point changes from other factions. If you encounter troops from other Star Halls, I can relay some information about them."

"Would that be enough to earn me a few more chapters?" Lei Ling asked pitifully.

"Other people's information? Didn't you say before that rules forbade you from revealing any information about any power-bearer?" Xu Jin asked, puzzled.

"That was the rule set by the previous power-bearer: no power-bearer may reveal any information about another power-bearer. But these disciples participating in the Lougong War? No one imposed such restrictions on me."

"I can say whatever I want—no one can control me," Lei Ling said.

"I see. Alright. I'll see how you perform—then I'll prepare several more chapters for you," Xu Jin said.

Hearing this, had Grand Master Cheng and the others not been present, Lei Ling would have cheered aloud.

Beside them, Dai Guanwen had opened four star domains in succession, and the exertion had been considerable—he swallowed a Three-Yin Clear Spirit Pill to restore his spiritual essence.

This recovery made the nearby Moonlight Princess anxious.

"Brother, can you hurry up? We finally got out, and you promised to take me to Wan Yi, the capital of Chen Guo—why so slow?" the girl urged.

The others paid no mind, but Xu Jin froze.

That voice—it sounded familiar.

"Little sister," Dai Guanwen looked pained, "I thought I was only opening Star Gates. I didn't realize I'd have to supervise for seven days—I'll be stuck here."

At this, the Moonlight Princess's expression darkened. Her lovely face turned icy. "You lied to me! You're not going to make me stay here with you for seven days, are you? I'll die of boredom!"

"Young Master Dai, perhaps I could send several female disciples from the Flying Swallow Academy of our Chen Guo Dao Academy to accompany the young princess to Wan Yi for a few days?" Cheng Yuexiao suddenly spoke.

"That's not impossible—I'm just concerned about her safety," Dai Guanwen said helplessly.

If his little sister threw a tantrum, he'd have a hard time explaining back home.

"I'll assign covert guards to protect her. Besides, at this moment, Wan Yi should be perfectly safe," Cheng Yuexiao assured him.

"Then I'm in your hands, Grand Master Cheng."

"Big brother, I'm off to have fun! I'll come find you in a few days," the Moonlight Princess called cheerfully as she left.

That cheerful phrase suddenly triggered Xu Jin's memory.

The Drunken Moon Immortal from the Third-Rank Training Realm!

He'd spoken with her countless times—this voice was unmistakable.

He was certain now.

So the Drunken Moon Immortal's true identity was the Moonlight Princess of the Numinous Palace?

Her background really was—

No wonder she could casually toss hundreds of starlights—she was truly a wealthy woman.

"The Third-Rank Shahe Star Domain is open—enter quickly!"

In the next instant, Dai Guanwen's voice rang out, and Grand Master Cheng's gaze turned to Xu Jin and the others.

Xu Jin caught the timing jade tablet Dai Guanwen tossed, then stepped first into the vortex of the Third-Rank Shahe Star Domain—and vanished instantly.

Dai Guanwen opened the Third-Rank Star Gates swiftly; within two watch periods, all were complete, and every combatant had entered their target star domain.

"Young Master Dai, you'll have to guard these days—any needs, just say the word. We'll deliver whatever we can," the Left Sacrificial Officer smiled forward.

As for Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao, he exchanged greetings and departed.

In a flash, he appeared within the Star River Marshal's Mansion Realm.

Several others were already seated within the Star River Marshal's Mansion Realm.

Including Wei Xu, the Grand Marshal of the Star River Battlefield, as well as the Emperor of Da Hong, the Emperor of Da Chu, and the Zhen'e Star Lord.

"Hah, you're all here early," Cheng Yuexiao greeted.

"Since all representatives are present, I'll activate the scoreboard," Wei Xu said, waving his hand. Four star-screens appeared before them.

"Lei Ling, how often can you update this points scoreboard?" Wei Xu asked. "There are too many star domains—even with the Star Tower's core aura, real-time tallying is impossible. I estimate I can update the scoreboard every six hours," Lei Ling replied.

Upon hearing this, the group—including Cheng Yuexiao—exchanged greetings and departed.

Updating every six hours meant no need to linger.

The rest depended on the disciples' performance and luck.

In the Shahe Star Domain, the starlight vanished—Xu Jin's feet felt unnaturally light.

Desert!

An endless desert.

Xu Jin now understood why this domain was called the Shahe Star Domain.

According to prior intelligence, the main alien races here were two: the Scorpion-Tailed Aliens and the Color-Changing Aliens.

The Color-Changing Aliens were especially dangerous, especially in the desert, where they could blend perfectly with the sand.

But for Xu Jin, who possessed the Mingji Star Pattern, they posed little threat.

He activated his Mid-Rank Red-Scale Heart to sense the positions of Ji Hongli and the others—four of them had landed in different directions.

The closest was seven or eight hundred li away; the farthest, two or three thousand li.

After sending them guidance via the Red-Scale Heart, Xu Jin immediately retrieved from the Can Dou Platform the Luanying Pendant, the Treading Star Boots, and the Gaiyue Sword.

All were Fourth-Rank Star Artifacts—normally impossible to bring in—but Xu Jin could carry anything from the Can Dou Platform or his Numinous Space.

Now fully equipped.

Xu Jin instantly soared into the stars.

Since we're going to kill enemies, we must seek the strongest ones—and speed up our journey.

Star-Treading Flight is much faster than Star-Stepping.

Half a moment later, Xu Jin retracted his starlight and suddenly descended, plunging toward the ground.

On the ground, a hundred-strong squad of Scorpion-Tail natives was racing toward the direction Xu Jin had just landed—likely due to the Heavenly Will's repulsion, causing these native aliens to instinctively patrol that direction.

Leading them was a Scorpion-Tail alien at the ninth layer of Star Refining.

Seeing Xu Jin descend from the sky, the leader instantly shuddered, flipped his scorpion tail, and vanished into the desert.

The other aliens charged forward, howling fiercely.

Xu Jin didn't dodge or evade; his Fish-Curtain Starlight shielded his body as his ten fingers flicked rapidly, sending bursts of fire flying.

Just ordinary fire arrows.

But every time a fire arrow struck one of these aliens, it instantly killed them, reducing the impacted area to charred carbon.

Some were reduced entirely to ash.

Even this was due to Xu Jin's caution—he feared excessive star energy drain, so he used only mid-tier seventh-rank Fire Source Star Patterns, daring not to activate the eighth-rank high-tier Fire Source Star Patterns.

The eighth-rank high-tier Fire Source Star Patterns produced flames of devastating power, but consumed star energy massively.

In barely a breath, all hundred aliens—from Foundation Establishment to Star Refining—were instantly slain by Xu Jin.

The next instant, the Gaiyue Sword on Xu Jin's chest emitted a resonant hum and shot straight into the desert below.

The desert surged like a colossal sand serpent, heaving and undulating in a terrifying display.

The next instant, the blade shot out from the desert, now a three-foot-long azure sword, piercing through a Scorpion-Tail alien.

"My lord, spare me! My lord, spare me!"

"I ask, you answer?"

"I'll answer—whatever you ask, I'll tell you."

At the very moment this ninth-layer Star Refining Scorpion-Tail alien agreed, Wen Meng activated, plunging him into deep sleep.

Then, whatever Xu Jin asked, he answered.

Since Wen Meng reached seventh-rank mid-tier, it had become truly useful.

It could bypass the target's state and drag them directly into a dream—perfect for interrogation.

Within dozens of breaths, Xu Jin had gathered all the essential intelligence about the Sand River Star Region.

Every major city in the Sand River Star Region lay within an oasis in the desert.

The Wang Ting was naturally built within the largest oasis; there were three other major cities, plus over a hundred settlements of varying sizes, with roughly a dozen settlements exceeding one hundred thousand inhabitants.

Each settlement with over one hundred thousand people had at least one fourth-rank Star Condensation expert stationed there.

The three major cities were guarded by experts at late-stage fourth-rank Star Condensation.

Their Sand River King resided, of course, within the largest oasis—the Sand River Wang Ting.

This was the information Xu Jin needed most.

Having learned all he needed, the blade flashed once and beheaded him.

He casually plucked out a third-rank Star Core and tossed it into his Numinous Space.

Even a scrap of meat counts as meat.

Once acquired, don't just discard it.

The next instant, Xu Jin soared again, star-treading with extreme speed.

Half an hour later, Xu Jin passed the third-largest settlement in the Sand River Region; within a hundred breaths, he slew the fourth-rank Star Condensation sixth-layer city lord, four other fourth-rank Star Condensation experts, and hundreds of third-rank Star Refining soldiers.

No challenge at all.

He casually collected thousands of third-rank Star Jade Tablets and over a hundred fourth-rank Star Jade Tablets.

Third-rank Star Jade Tablets were directly fed into the Canden Platform and converted into starlight—over a thousand yielded only fifty-odd strands of fourth-rank starlight.

Roughly twenty third-rank Star Jade Tablets yielded one strand of fourth-rank starlight.

Fourth-rank Star Jade Tablets were still useful for now, so he kept them.

Xu Jin made no further looting—he simply soared upward, heading straight for the Sand River Wang Ting.

Two moments later, Xu Jin neared the thirty-li perimeter of the Sand River Wang Ting.

The moment he approached, over twenty fourth-rank auras surged skyward, charging toward him.

The strongest was a fourth-rank Star Condensation eighth-layer expert.

"Fourth-rank foes? They're worth using the seventh-rank high-tier Fire Source Star Pattern."

With a thought, spiraling fire arrows fueled by seventh-rank high-tier Fire Source Star Patterns shot forth at high speed toward the fourth-rank aliens.

How fast these fourth-rank aliens came,

So fast they died.

Eighteen streaks of light shot skyward—and plummeted just as swiftly.

The other two—one at fourth-rank eighth-layer, the other at fourth-rank seventh-layer—survived two of Xu Jin's spiraling fire blasts.

The next instant, Xu Jin's Thunder Wings flashed, appearing fifty meters before one of them, his palm erupting with flame.

Flame Explosion!

Obliterated!

Another flash—he obliterated the second one too.

Thunder Wings flared, and Xu Jin plunged straight into the airspace above the Sand River Wang Ting.

"Sand River King, come out if you have sense!" Xu Jin's thunderous voice echoed through the entire Wang Ting—when, from a grand hall, a figure shot skyward in a swirling dust tornado, roaring as he charged Xu Jin.

"Damn human!"

Shhh!

The thunderous crack of Thunder Wings split the air as Xu Jin flashed forward, unleashing a spiraling flame explosion fueled by seventh-rank high-tier Fire Source Star Patterns!

Boom!

The fourth-rank Star Condensation ninth-layer Sand River King was instantly obliterated!

The next instant, a golden-brown glow emerged from the exploded Sand River King's body, attempting to flee!

Heavenly Will?

A familiar sensation surged—he extended his Soul Hand and seized the Earth-based Sand River Heart in his grip!

Target secured!

(End of Chapter)