Chapter 259: The Strongest Among the Strong

Within the third-rank Liuxia Star Region.

By the time Lü Kun had fully processed the information Xu Jin brought, Xu Jin had already left.

Watching Xu Jin's retreating figure, Lü Kun's eyes had lost all their luster.

He was crushed.

And crushed to the point of despair.

Since entering the Liuxia Star Region, Lü Kun had not been lazy.

Before entering, he had used every scrap of available data on the Liuxia Star Region to devise multiple consolidation strategies.

Within a day and a half of entering the Liuxia Star Region, he successfully gathered all his squad members and began slowly advancing toward Liuxia Wangcheng.

Lü Kun employed a steady, methodical approach.

He led his squad forward steadily, constantly repelling alien races drawn to them by the will of heaven and earth.

After each major battle, they took turns recovering, then pressed onward toward Liuxia Wangcheng.

This strategy was very stable, but had one major flaw.

The enemies they encountered would grow stronger and stronger.

Indeed, on the third evening, Lü Kun's group of five encountered the strongest counterattack yet from the alien races within the star region.

Ten fourth-rank experts arrived.

Hundreds of third-rank experts.

Fortunately, during their advance, Lü Kun had always paid attention to terrain, constantly securing advantageous positions.

This battle was extremely difficult.

After more than an hour of fighting, they had begun using their life-saving talismans.

But Lü Kun firmly believed that once they weathered this wave, the difficulty would drop sharply afterward.

After all, the total number of fourth-rank experts within a third-rank star region was limited.

But an unexpected blow arrived fifteen minutes ago.

Xu Jin suddenly appeared.

When he appeared, everyone thought it was an illusion.

But when Xu Jin eliminated five fourth-rank aliens and over three hundred third-rank aliens within just twenty breaths, Lü Kun and the others were stunned.

In the preceding hour, their group of five, even using talismans, had slain four fourth-rank aliens and severely wounded one.

That was the combined effort of all five of them.

Yet now, Xu Jin alone had cleared the entire battlefield.

While the other squad members cheered, "Senior Brother is mighty!", Lü Kun's mouth tasted bitter.

But something even more bitter followed—the news Xu Jin brought.

Xu Jin said he had already breached Liuxia Wangcheng half an hour ago.

The King of Liuxia and the twenty-three fourth-rank aliens within Liuxia Wangcheng had all been slain by him.

Breached!

Liuxia Wangcheng had been breached—by Xu Jin alone.

Lü Kun found it hard to believe.

He instinctively asked, "Did you come alone?"

Xu Jin gave a definite answer.

That answer shattered Lü Kun completely.

All along, Lü Kun—and even his current master, Fang Shi, the Southern University Head—had aimed to surpass Xu Jin.

Previously, as his cultivation base rose, Lü Kun's kill count on the God-Slaying Battlefield had approached 140 stages.

Xu Jin's kill count had remained stuck at 147.

This gave Lü Kun hope he could surpass Xu Jin.

If he could further enhance his combat power and then surge through 140 stages in one go, he was confident he could push all the way to 146.

At that point, he would be just one step behind Xu Jin.

He might even surpass Xu Jin outright.

But now, it seemed,

how childish his idea had been.

How foolish to judge Xu Jin's strength by his God-Slaying Battlefield kill count!

Now it was clear: Xu Jin had simply stopped attempting stages altogether.

The enemies his group of five couldn't eliminate in an hour, Xu Jin wiped out in dozens of breaths.

The Wangcheng they had almost no chance of breaching directly, Xu Jin had stormed alone.

In an instant, Lü Kun felt the sky had gone dark.

Xu Jin was like that darkened sky, firmly looming over his head.

Xu Jin might be a being he could never surpass in his entire life.

The third-rank Liuxia Star Region was the fastest Xu Jin had ever conquered.

Only four hours.

The rewards were decent too.

The star jade tablets he collected yielded over eight hundred threads of fourth-rank starlight, and the thirty-plus fifth-rank starlight tablets were all stored in his Nirmāṇakāya space.

In addition, he acquired a water-element fishman heart.

The alien races within the Liuxia Star Region were a highly formidable fishman clan with strict rank divisions.

Whether they could conquer it was no longer Xu Jin's concern.

The talisman entrusted by the Grand Preceptor had been left for Lü Kun—whether they could conquer it now depended on their own abilities.

In a quiet chamber beside the main tower of the Chen Dynasty's Star-Picking Tower, Grand Preceptor Cheng Yuexiao gave Xu Jin his final instructions.

"Fourth-rank star regions differ from third-rank ones. Third-rank regions are relatively small; fourth-rank regions are at least twice the size of third-rank ones.

Moreover, alien forces are more numerous and far more complex.

One point you must absolutely remember:

In first-, second-, and third-rank star regions, there is typically only one celestial will. These are called low-rank star regions and are conquerable.

But from fourth-rank upward, each higher rank adds one more celestial will to the star region.

A fourth-rank star region generally possesses two celestial wills.

Once inside, you must first find a way to gather intelligence.

If the alien forces in the fourth-rank star region are fragmented,

whether there are two kings, three kings, or Qiba kings, it doesn't matter—just target the largest territories; you won't run into major trouble.

The strongest among them won't exceed fifth-rank Peak Gathering.

The more factions there are, the weaker the overall strength.

But if you encounter a fourth-rank star region that has been unified,

my advice is: retreat immediately!

A king who has unified a fourth-rank star region has already mastered and assimilated at least two celestial wills.

He gains a certain measure of celestial authority.

Even if his cultivation is only at the fifth-rank Peak Gathering stage, a sixth-rank expert who enters may still fail to defeat him—and could even perish.

If you encounter such a situation, withdraw immediately.

This applies to all star regions above fourth-rank.

For any fourth-rank or higher star region that has achieved unification,

retreat—withdraw immediately!

Never be reckless."

"Grand Preceptor, rest assured—I've remembered!"

Xu Jin nodded firmly.

He had deeply experienced the power of celestial authority before.

The experience in the third-rank Fanhua Star Region had been too profound.

Even the seventh-rank star pattern's Starfire Heaven Flame had been suppressed.

Only by using the dazzling purple heaven flame from the eighth-rank below's high-grade fire-source star pattern, combined with a soul attack, had he slain the Queen of Fanhua.

As he spoke, Cheng Yuexiao placed twelve talismans into Xu Jin's hands.

"Fourth-rank star regions are perilous. Here are ten fifth-rank upper talismans and two sixth-rank upper talismans—all hastily engraved by Grand University Head Kou these past few days.

Use them when needed; don't fear wasting them.

You've already performed excellently in this Tower Tribute Battle.

Our Chen Dynasty's tribute points have risen to first place. Even if we can't hold it, second is guaranteed.

Compared to our previous fourth-place ranking, the improvement is already enormous.

What remains is merely icing on the cake.

Your safe return is Chen's greatest reward." Cheng Yuexiao said.

"Grand Preceptor, I've remembered."

A dozen breaths later, Xu Jin and Grand Preceptor Cheng Yuexiao appeared simultaneously on the second floor of the Chen Dynasty's Star-Picking Tower, then watched as Xu Jin stepped directly into the fourth-rank Huoyun Star Region.

The captain of the Fourth-Rank Fire Cloud Star Domain is Ye Anshi.

Xu Jin chose to enter the Fourth-Rank Fire Cloud Star Domain first for two reasons: Ye Anshi is a disciple of Master Kou Jing, and Senior Sister Yang Miao is also within this star domain.

Dai Guanwen, the fourth prince of Xumi Palace, watched Xu Jin step into the Fourth-Rank Fire Cloud Star Domain with a strange expression.

They sent a Third-Rank Star Refining Ninth Layer prodigy into the Fourth-Rank Star Domain?

Is Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao of Chen Guo insane?

Of course not!

Then this Third-Rank Star Refining Ninth Layer prodigy, Xu Jin, must have extraordinary qualities!

Suddenly, Dai Guanwen became increasingly curious about Xu Jin, the prodigy disciple of the Chen Guo National Dao Academy.

Within the Fourth-Rank Fire Cloud Star Domain.

Xu Jin casually crushed a mid-stage Fourth-Rank Fire Spirit, then considered his next move based on the intelligence and rough map he had obtained.

The Fourth-Rank Fire Cloud Star Domain hosts many alien races, and currently three major factions dominate.

The first is the Fire Spirit Clan, one of the Five Spirits; according to recent intelligence, the Fire Spirit Clan was the dominant power in the Fire Cloud Star Domain centuries ago, but has since declined.

Yet today, they remain the strongest faction in the Fourth-Rank Fire Cloud Star Domain.

Their strongest is the Fire Spirit King, a Fifth-Rank Gathering Stars Peak cultivator who has reigned for over twenty years.

The second and third factions are both from the Eight Wilderness Clan: one is the Fire Tiger Clan, the other the Wind Spirit Leopard Tail Clan.

It is essentially confirmed that the Fire Spirit Clan's Heavenly Will is a combination of Wind and Fire, with Fire as the dominant element.

In terms of territory, the Wind Spirit Leopard Tail Clan controls the largest area.

Xu Jin's current position is within the Fire Spirit Clan's territory.

Xu Jin's primary mission upon entering the Fourth-Rank Star Domain has changed.

The main mission upon entering the Third-Rank Star Domain was to slay the Star Domain King, obtain the Heavenly and Stellar Will, and rendezvous with the corresponding team to deliver the Talisman, granting them a chance to conquer the current star domain.

But the mission for the Fourth-Rank Star Domain has changed entirely.

First, Xu Jin does not need to rush to rendezvous with teams entering the Fourth-Rank Star Domain.

Although Ye Anshi and Senior Sister Yang Miao are both within the Fourth-Rank Fire Cloud Star Domain, their situation is not particularly dangerous.

One reason is the complex power structure of the Fourth-Rank Star Domain, which allows for careful maneuvering.

The second reason is that the primary mission for teams entering the Fourth-Rank Star Domain is survival; the secondary mission is, while surviving, to kill as many Fourth- or Fifth-Rank aliens as possible, weakening their strength and accumulating points.

As for conquering the Fourth-Rank Star Domain?

Impossible!

Even the Heavenly Sun Star Palace and the Azure Star Palace have never conquered a Fourth-Rank Star Domain.

Thus, Grand Master's basic mission for Xu Jin is simple: eliminate select Fourth-Rank Star Domain elites to ease pressure on Ye Anshi's squad.

Everything else is Xu Jin's discretion.

Xu Jin's sole goal in entering the Fourth-Rank Star Domain is to obtain the Heavenly and Stellar Will.

This is Xu Jin's path to becoming stronger.

As for points, Xu Jin no longer intends to pursue them deliberately.

Xu Jin's thought is: since exposure is inevitable, better to expose thoroughly.

Killing one is a crime; slaughtering ten thousand is heroism.

Only by slaughtering ten thousand out of ten thousand can one become the hero among heroes!

Xu Jin will not slaughter ten thousand.

But his idea is this: when he reveals only a small part of himself, he becomes a coveted treasure, an object of envy for all.

But when he reveals enough, he can actively make most realize the gap in strength, extinguishing their covetousness.

Turning most people's admiration into fear will avoid the vast majority of dangers.

For example, if Xu Jin slays one Star Domain King, it's luck; slaying two, it's luck within luck.

If he slays three, who dares call it luck?

No matter what methods Xu Jin uses—even if he uses Talismans to obliterate them—those below Fifth-Rank Gathering Stars Peak, or those who believe they cannot defeat a Fourth-Rank Star Domain King, will retreat on their own.

Seek fortune, avoid misfortune.

Fear the strong, bully the weak!

This is the nature of most cultivators.

This is Xu Jin's primary objective.

Combining these two goals gives Xu Jin a clear direction.

Prioritize slaying the Fire Cloud King.

The Fire Cloud King has over a ninety percent chance of possessing the Fire Heavenly and Stellar Will, which will enhance Xu Jin's strength.

As for whether he can kill him?

Xu Jin has never doubted this.

If his own strength is insufficient, Xu Jin has Talismans.

If Fifth-Rank Talismans are inadequate, Xu Jin has a cultivated Fifth-Rank Talisman.

If a cultivated Fifth-Rank Talisman is insufficient, Xu Jin has a cultivated Sixth-Rank Upper Talisman with doubled power.

If one cultivated, doubled-power Sixth-Rank Upper Talisman is not enough, use two.

If two are not enough, Xu Jin will use three.

This is Xu Jin's confidence.

This is the confidence granted by having a Talisman Grandmaster as his master.

Under these circumstances, Xu Jin actually hopes the Fire Spirit King of the Fourth-Rank Fire Cloud Star Domain grows stronger.

The stronger he is, the more fear his defeat will inspire.

The fewer enemies Xu Jin will face in the future.

The Fire Spirit Clan's living environment in the Fire Cloud Star Domain is harsh.

Of course, this is from Xu Jin's human perspective.

To the Fire Spirit Clan, living near lifeless volcanoes may feel like paradise.

The Fire Spirit Clan's Fire Spirit City lies at the foot of a dead volcano.

Its entire structure is reddish-brown.

Unlike his reckless charge through the Third-Rank Star Domain, Xu Jin moves with restraint in the Fourth-Rank Star Domain.

As he approaches Fire Spirit City, he directly hides and glides along the ground.

What puzzles Xu Jin is that he encountered almost no Fire Spirit Clan members blocking his path.

That is, he faced no excessive targeting by the Heavenly Will.

This may be due to the complex composition of the Fourth-Rank Star Domain.

Yet the moment Xu Jin infiltrated Fire Spirit City, the entire sky above the city erupted in crimson-black flames, like beacon smoke, instantly plunging the city into a state of war.

Tens of thousands of Second-, Third-, and Fourth-Rank Fire Spirit Clan members surged onto the city walls and into the sky.

Patrol squads of Fourth-Rank Fire Spirit Clan members, led by Fifth-Rank elites, began circling the skies.

Xu Jin even found himself stunned.

Several squads, led by Fifth-Rank elites, were directly setting fire to the very areas Xu Jin had just passed through!

In an instant, Xu Jin understood: he was being targeted by the Heavenly Will.

Or rather, by the Fire Spirit King, who controlled part of the Fourth-Rank Fire Cloud Star Domain's Heavenly Will.

If exposed, Xu Jin would instantly be surrounded; he might have to blast a blood path using Fifth- and Sixth-Rank Talismans.

What to do?

Under this crude tactic of burning search by Fifth-Rank elites within the city, it would not take long before they found Xu Jin.

At that point, Xu Jin would inevitably be trapped in a bloody siege.

He would have no chance to slay the Fire Spirit King.

But now, there is still an opportunity.

In a single instant, Xu Jin reaffirmed the Chaotic Star Pendant hanging on his chest, then made his decision.

The next instant, a piercing sound tore through the air.

(End of Chapter)