Chapter 263: Breakthrough to Fourth Rank

"Sixth rank!"

Feeling the change in the Dao-robed man's aura, Xu Jin was also startled.

His first thought was: Is the Worship of Stars Sect really that powerful?

It can break through the cosmic limit of this star domain.

In a fourth-rank star domain, all beings—native or outsider—hit a hard ceiling at fifth-rank peak; none could break into sixth rank.

Yet this Dao-robed man

Suddenly, Xu Jin's Central Star Palace's fifth-rank Fire Spirit Heart trembled—its unique portion of the Fire Cloud Star Domain's cosmic will quivered slightly.

As the Fire Cloud Star Domain's cosmic will trembled, the Dao-robed man's newly achieved sixth-rank aura instantly plummeted.

But in that instant of collapse, starlight flooded in, restoring him immediately to barely sixth rank.

Constantly stripped down, constantly restored.

Xu Jin understood in an instant.

The star power within the Star God statue seemed endless.

Xu Jin watched this scene and found himself in a bind.

Memories of all that had happened during his rescue of Jiang Er on Autumn Leaf Island surfaced.

Xu Jin still remembered how the Worship of Stars Sect's Star Palace had used its seal to draw star power from the statue, holding off the Mountain Elder's group until the connection was severed, at which point they were killed.

Now, this Star Official stood directly before the statue.

In this sense, this Worship of Stars Sect Star Official's star power was endless—as long as he stood beneath the statue.

At least for now.

Moreover, this Worship of Stars Sect Star Official was clearly far stronger than the previous one—even the seal's radiance was brighter.

Who knew what other strange explosive techniques he might possess?

So Xu Jin felt there was no need to risk it.

If he was going to strike, he'd strike hard!

"So you're the expert the Fire Spirit King spoke of?"

Xu Jin slowly approached, and to guard against surprises, the Fish Curtain Golden Bell had already materialized.

"Are you the reinforcements the Fire Spirit King summoned? But that guy's already dead, isn't he?" Star Official Zhu Wenhai barked.

Like Xu Jin, he too was probing for information—though there were other intentions as well.

"The Fire Spirit King is indeed dead!"

"But do you know how he died?" Xu Jin asked with a smile, advancing another ten meters.

"How did he die?" asked Star Official Zhu Wenhai.

"I killed him!"

"You? How is that possible!"

As Zhu Wenhai spoke, he realized his mistake—this young man had just obliterated five eighth-rank experts right before his eyes, which was precisely why he feared him so deeply and now relied on the Star God's might.

If this were merely a third-rank Star Refining ninth-rank cultivator, he'd have charged in long ago and crushed him countless times.

"Don't believe me?"

Xu Jin sneered and advanced another dozens of meters.

"Of course—given your cultivation," Zhu Wenhai sneered, deliberately feigning shock.

In truth, both men were calculating each other at this very moment.

"Then you'll know soon enough."

"What?"

As Zhu Wenhai hesitated, Xu Jin slowly advanced another dozens of meters.

In that instant, Star Official Zhu Wenhai's gaze sharply shifted—he was now within his attack range.

Instantly, the Star Official's seal above his head flared violently, drawing a massive torrent of star power from the Star God statue, aiming to obliterate Xu Jin in one blow.

At that same instant, Xu Jin—who had been watching the seal's radiance and noticed its change—exploded his Thunder Wings backward.

BOOM!

In an instant, he crossed five hundred meters and appeared behind and to the side of Star Official Zhu Wenhai.

Purple Thunder Strike.

The moment purple lightning appeared above Zhu Wenhai's head, the torrent of star power drawn by the seal blasted through the very spot where Xu Jin had vanished.

The overwhelming force shockwave also startled Xu Jin.

Extremely powerful!

Stronger than the full-force strike of a fifth-rank peak expert.

At that same instant, the purple lightning struck—but as it descended, Zhu Wenhai's star seal abruptly drew vast starlight from the Star God statue, instantly forming a swirling vortex of starlight.

The purple lightning vanished silently.

Starlight flared again.

The Mingji Star Pattern of the Lower Star Palace also flashed to its maximum intensity.

It was a warning.

More starlight condensed and surged from the Star Official's seal.

Xu Jin didn't hesitate—he flashed away again.

He dared not block an attack beyond sixth rank.

Though he wouldn't be killed outright, without a strategy to break him, this Star Official could unleash terrifying attacks one after another.

After precisely dodging one attack, Xu Jin shifted position and immediately activated the Divine Soul Star Art—Dream Shock!

A massive wave of Divine Soul energy surged forth.

Sensing the Divine Soul energy rising from Xu Jin, Star Official Zhu Wenhai sneered.

He feared nothing more than Divine Soul attacks.

The next instant, Zhu Wenhai's Divine Soul merely flickered, then returned to normal.

At the same moment, Xu Jin fully sensed the Divine Soul fluctuations of this Star Palace.

Sixth-rank peak!

Damn it, is this guy a freak?!

His Divine Soul cultivation matches that of the Grand Master!

But it's not entirely surprising.

Guarding a star domain, leading tens of thousands—or even hundreds of thousands—of worshippers to venerate the True Star God, he'd naturally accumulate immense Divine Soul power.

High Divine Soul cultivation was only logical.

Ordinary Divine Soul Star Arts were useless.

Xu Jin immediately activated Dream Kill!

As the two passed each other, their eyes locked—and Dream Kill activated.

Heaven and earth twisted; both men plunged into the Dream Kill illusion.

As before, Xu Jin, like a god, wove and controlled the dream, summoning cosmic forces to strike the Star Official.

If he killed this Star Official within the dream, he would truly die.

But what troubled Xu Jin was that this Star Official had brought his Star Official Seal into the dream.

Meaning, the seal was a thing fully refined and controlled by his Divine Soul.

This would be an uncontrollable variable within the dream.

Added to the fact that this Star Official's Divine Soul cultivation was already stronger than Xu Jin's.

Thunder crashed down, and Zhu Wenhai's form rapidly dissolved.

As Zhu Wenhai panicked, he frantically activated his Star Official Seal to block the thunder.

But the thunder passed straight through the seal and struck his head again.

This left Zhu Wenhai utterly bewildered.

This was impossible!

The Star Official Seal was a sixth-rank star artifact passed down for thousands of years by the Worship of Stars Sect—how could it fail?!

Then—

At the instant Zhu Wenhai realized this, Xu Jin voluntarily withdrew from the Dream Kill illusion.

The next instant, Xu Jin pushed his fire-based power to its absolute limit.

Brilliant Purple Heavenly Fire.

Fire Spirit Heart.

Crimson Dragon Ring.

The Star Protection Pattern granted by the Can Dou Altar.

Spiral Flame Explosion unleashed!

Before the flame explosion reached him, Zhu Wenhai fell out of the dream—and his Star Official Seal promptly drew a torrent of starlight from the Star God's statue, blocking Xu Jin's explosion.

In the blinding flash of flame, starlight was constantly consumed, then replenished again from the Star God statue.

Until Xu Jin's attack was fully worn away.

Xu Jin's face burned with frustration.

This fight was infuriatingly stifling.

This fellow's spiritual soul is strong, but not invincible.

Xu Jin's fire-star technique is powerful enough.

But this bastard is backed by the Star Lord's statue, like carrying a massive blood bag—he cannot be killed.

Put simply, as long as he stays within range of the Star Lord's statue, and as long as the star power stored inside the statue hasn't been exhausted, Xu Jin cannot kill him.

In a battle of star power, Xu Jin isn't afraid.

His Can Dou Platform still holds tens of thousands of strands of starlight.

But this is an alien star domain—the longer the battle drags on, the more likely unforeseen variables will arise.

Moreover, Xu Jin cannot guess how much star power is stored inside the Star Lord's statue.

In an instant, many tactics flashed through Xu Jin's mind, but none offered high chances of victory.

Then, there's only one path left!

Overload!

Make him overload!

The Star Lord's statue holds vast quantities of star power, but this Star Palace can draw in only a limited amount per unit of time.

The next instant, Xu Jin, who had been dodging attacks with high-speed movement, suddenly drew close again to Star Official Zhu Wenhai—and at the moment of proximity, he unleashed a pre-nourished fifth-rank upper-grade rune: Brilliant Light.

Boom!

The blazing light, like a sun, instantly swallowed Star Official Zhu Wenhai.

Xu Jin waited eagerly!

But one second later, the brilliant daylight faded—and Star Official Zhu Wenhai emerged from the glare, slightly disheveled, his Star Official Seal dimmed, yet he was utterly unharmed. Xu Jin frowned!

Star Official Zhu Wenhai immediately activated his Star Official Seal again, drawing massive star power from the statue to shield himself.

As star power densely filled the surroundings, Zhu Wenhai regained his composure and sneered again: "You've used a sixth-rank rune. If you've got the guts, unleash a seventh-rank rune!"

"If you can't, today is your death day!"

As he spoke, he once more channeled his Star Official Seal to launch a torrent of starlight toward Xu Jin.

Xu Jin said nothing, carefully sensing with his Ming Ji Star Pattern, evading Zhu Wenhai's strikes with caution.

After two dodges and two strikes, Xu Jin found another opening.

In an instant, he flashed to the side of Star Official Zhu Wenhai and unleashed a rune he had been holding for a long time.

Sixth-rank upper-grade rune: Great Sun!

Pre-nourished!

The next instant, a blinding miniature sun erupted above Star Official Zhu Wenhai's head—and exploded to its peak in an instant.

The radiance of the explosion was so intense that even Xu Jin dared not look directly at it!

"Seventh-rank? How can this—"

The cry of shock instantly turned into a scream—a chilling, horrifying scream.

The blazing light of the Great Sun lasted one breath; the scream lasted one breath.

When the Great Sun's radiance faded, the first thing to appear was the Star Official Seal.

It had dimmed to its absolute limit, yet still emitted a faint starlight, shielding only the remaining part of Star Official Zhu Wenhai—his head!

Below the neck, Star Official Zhu Wenhai had vanished entirely.

He must have been incinerated to ash by the pre-nourished sixth-rank upper-grade Great Sun rune.

Only his head remained.

The Star Lord's statue, once radiant with starlight and surging with power, had now grown markedly dim.

Star Official Zhu Wenhai, reduced to just a head, was still alive.

He slowly opened his eyes, gazing at Xu Jin with venomous hatred.

Shhh!

The next instant, a blade of light flashed sharply, piercing straight through Zhu Wenhai's occiput.

Xu Jin, fearing the Star Lord's statue might revive the Star Official, had already prepared for this.

The Gai Yue Sword had been circling behind him, waiting.

Now, it pierced his skull.

The moment the sword pierced his brain, despair and terror flashed in Zhu Wenhai's eyes—and a nascent spiritual soul instantly leapt from his shattered skull, seeking to flee.

Dealing with spiritual souls? Xu Jin was experienced.

Boom!

Purple lightning struck down.

Zhu Wenhai's fleeing spiritual soul was instantly halted—and Xu Jin rushed forward, ready to capture it alive.

If he captured Zhu Wenhai's spiritual soul, Xu Jin could use Wen Meng to extract valuable intelligence.

Including Zhu Wenhai's origins, how long he'd been in this star domain.

How he entered, his connections—and even many secrets of the Worship the Stars Cult—could be interrogated.

But the next instant, Xu Jin's expression turned to stunned disbelief.

The spiritual soul of Star Official Zhu Wenhai, trapped by his spiritual soul hand, began to disintegrate.

Crumbling inch by inch.

In one breath, it rapidly dissolved into nothingness.

Xu Jin first wondered if it was some self-destruction technique of the Worship the Stars Cult.

But watching the disintegration process, he understood.

It wasn't any self-destruction technique at all.

It was simply that the spiritual soul was unstable—and collapsed.

Star Official Zhu Wenhai's own spiritual soul cultivation was only at peak fourth-rank, just like the former Heavenly Sun Star Palace's Second Elder Hu Zhen—he had never broken through to fifth-rank, and had only formed a nascent spiritual soul.

He had already been wounded during the earlier Dream of Killing, but within tolerable limits.

After being pierced through the skull, his spiritual soul escaped alone—then took a direct hit from Xu Jin's purple lightning, and could no longer hold together.

It began to dissolve and scatter.

Completely annihilated.

The next instant, Xu Jin suddenly remembered another object—the Star Official Seal!

Last time on Autumn Leaf Island, the Star Official Seal had moved so swiftly that even Elder Dong Zhao couldn't stop it.

Would it escape again today?

His gaze darted—and he spotted the Star Official Seal.

The dimmed Star Official Seal was now spinning wildly above the Star Lord statue, flipping left and right, up and down, like a headless fly, seemingly lost.

Xu Jin flashed forward in an instant and seized the Star Official Seal in his hand.

Just as he was about to toss it into his Numinous Space, a thought struck him.

Last time on Autumn Leaf Island, when the Star Official Seal departed, the Star Lord's statue had lost control and collapsed.

This Star Lord's statue was a tremendous boon.

To waste it would be foolish!

Below, the Baowei tribe's alien folk stared in utter terror at Xu Jin, hovering above the statue, clutching the Seal, unsure what to do.

As for the elite of the Wind Spirit Baowei tribe—whether third-rank or fourth-rank—they dared not advance.

One reason was fear.

Another crucial reason: their strongest queen was now kneeling on the ground, forehead pressed to the earth, restraining her people.

"No one is to join the battle!"

"No one is to join the battle!"

Under Xu Jin's Shocking Dream and Killing Dream, the Baowei Queen had been utterly subdued in a short time.

Watching this, Xu Jin's heart stirred.

"I see your submission. Rise."

Xu Jin's booming voice spread through Wind Spirit City. After confirming thrice, the Baowei Queen dared to lift her head—and remained kneeling, waiting cautiously for Xu Jin's next command.

"Take your people and tend to the wounded."

"No one is permitted within two thousand meters of the statue. Anyone who appears, dies!"

"I humbly obey the True God's decree."

The Baowei Queen had actually come to regard Xu Jin as the so-called True God.

The next instant, all members of the Wind Spirit Baowei tribe, under the Queen's command, swiftly retreated beyond the two-thousand-meter radius of the statue.

Looking at the empty space around the statue.

Xu Jin felt a slight easing of tension.

Two thousand meters? A fifth-rank expert could reach it in one or two breaths.

But it was enough for Xu Jin to react.

His defensive measures were insufficient, but he didn't want to waste this rare opportunity—he'd have to make do.

In the past, the Ling Ji Star Palace's people would treat the Worship the Stars Cult's statues like wolves spotting meat.

Xu Jin wasn't that desperate, but he absolutely couldn't waste it.

The next instant, gripping an emergency rune, Xu Jin instantly activated another sixth-rank Ling Ji Star Palace technique he had learned—Illusionary Truth!

This technique had little offensive power; its main function was to create illusions.

This moment, right now, is the perfect time.

In the next instant, starlight surged; within a hundred meters around the statue, star mist instantly enveloped it, and at the center of the mist appeared a giant figure dozens of meters tall.

It was gradually merging with the colossal statue of the Star Lord.

The Leopard-Tailed Queen, witnessing this, stared in awe, then bowed again of her own accord.

Yet within the star mist, another scene unfolded.

Xu Jin tossed the Star Official's seal into the Sumeru space; less than three seconds after the seal's connection to the Star Lord's statue was severed, the entire statue began to crumble and leak.

Xu Jin sat cross-legged beneath the Star Lord's statue and activated the star cores of the Upper Star Palace and Middle Star Palace, beginning to absorb the vast amounts of star power and divine soul energy leaking from the crumbling statue.

Yet Xu Jin's primary focus remained on the Middle Star Palace.

For now, the divine soul energy needed only mechanical expansion.

But the Middle Star Palace needed to break through!

Fortunately, his teacher Liu Qingzhu had long ago taught him the method to break through to the fourth realm, making this easier.

Though the Star Lord's statue had previously consumed vast quantities of star power, the amount still remaining was considerable.

Star power, like a celestial river, was directly drawn down into Xu Jin's Middle Star Palace.

Xu Jin immediately directed the divine soul energy to use this torrent of star power to expand the Middle Star Palace.

With sufficient star power, the expansion of the Middle Star Palace proceeded at an extraordinary speed.

In less than a few dozen breaths, Xu Jin had used this star power to carve out ample space.

In the next instant, a torrent of divine soul energy surged forth, halting the rotation of the Middle Star Palace's star core, then within the shortest possible time, inscribing upon its inner expanse a star core base pattern: the Great Star Gathering Pattern.

The moment the inscription succeeded, Xu Jin activated the newly inscribed Great Star Gathering Pattern; instantly, vast quantities of star power flooded into it.

In the blink of an eye, the prototype of a star core emerged.

The instant the star core appeared, Xu Jin urged his divine soul energy once more—this time activating the star core he had once cultivated to the peak of Star Refining Ninth Layer—and carefully guided its rotational field to envelop the nascent second star core.

Then he spurred the second star core's prototype to spin at high speed, preventing it from being torn apart by the immense force of the first.

This was the most difficult step in breaking from the third to the fourth realm.

If the divine soul energy was insufficient or poorly controlled, even a slight misstep would destroy the nascent star core.

The breakthrough would fail!

But here, Xu Jin faced no problem.

In the next instant, as the two star cores—one large, one small—began to coexist peacefully, their combined rotation channeled vast quantities of star power into the second star core within Xu Jin's Middle Star Palace.

With the support of the immense star power within the Star Lord's statue, the second star core rapidly grew and strengthened.

Xu Jin's cultivation base shattered through the peak of the third realm and ascended fully into the fourth realm!

Currently, Fourth Realm: Star Condensation, First Layer, Initial Stage!

(End of Chapter)