Chapter 354: Unimaginable Fortune

Counting up, this was the second time Xu Jin had fought against one of Ju Zhang's subordinates from the Sacred Clan, but never before had they faced each other so closely.

Xu Jin could even see the intricate patterns on Ju Zhang's golden horn.

Suddenly, Xu Jin remembered Ning Yuchan's injury.

She had been attacked by a one-horned alien race, nearly killed—most likely by this one or one of his subordinates.

The corpse of the sixth-rank alien, beheaded by a single sword, dripped blood, yet Xu Jin and this Sacred Clan envoy Ju Zhang stared at each other, locked in silence.

Golden light spiraled across Ju Zhang's forehead horn, like thunder, reflecting his fury.

All for naught!

So close!

Just six hours short!

The first star domain could have successfully linked to the ancestral realm's cave heaven.

The ancestral realm's cave heaven could have firmly established itself in this star domain.

But that wasn't the worst—worse still, he had already sent one-tenth of the ancestral realm's world-origin power to accelerate the fusion.

This loss was enormous!

In the previous thirty star domains, whenever he activated the Star Pivot Array, he had allocated only two percent of the ancestral realm's world-origin power—just two percent!

He had long known that not all thirty star domains could succeed.

As long as some succeeded, he could slowly retrieve the power later.

Losing two percent wasn't significant.

But here, in his haste, he had sent one-tenth!

This loss was substantial!

"Human, every day of your future will be haunted by regret for today's actions!" Suddenly, the Sacred Ancestor's Golden Token, fallen to the ground, emitted Ju Zhang's voice.

Xu Jin snatched up the Sacred Ancestor's Golden Token, regardless of whether the other could hear, and sneered, "I think you will, too—more than me."

Ju Zhang's golden horn trembled violently twice, yet he still suppressed his rage. "I remember you!"

"Human, I remember you!"

"In the future, every human connected to you will face the Sacred Clan's most brutal retribution!"

Though the Sacred Clan envoy's threat sounded terrifying, Xu Jin wasn't the least bit intimidated.

He had killed a prince.

What did he fear from some mere Sacred Envoy?

"I want that golden horn on your head! One day, I'll turn it into an ornament and hang it from my waist to display my martial prowess!" Xu Jin barked.

At these words, Ju Zhang's golden horn erupted in blinding gold light—and instantly, the Sacred Ancestor's Golden Token in Xu Jin's hand shattered into fragments.

The next instant, Ju Zhang slowly rose, his golden eyes fixed unblinkingly on Xu Jin, etching his image deep into the core of his soul.

Only then did he turn away.

In the very moment he turned, his face lost all fury, replaced by calm and composure.

Anger is a sign of weakness.

One may feel anger.

But one must never show it before subordinates.

"The Huashih Star Domain linkage has failed. Observe other star domains," Ju Zhang said calmly.

"Yes!"

Behind him, over a hundred sixth-rank ninth-layer aliens responded in unison.

"Ju Ling, watch this place. Determine the final destination of the ancestral realm's world-origin power—whether it merged into Huashih Star Domain or..."

As Ju Zhang gave this order, his expression was calm, but his heart bled.

The ancestral realm's world-origin power was the power of a great world.

And he had sent one-tenth and two percent.

He must recover it!

"Your servant obeys!"

Another alien with a single horn on his head accepted the order and hovered at the edge of the ancestral realm's cave heaven, gazing far off at the slowly growing Altar Path.

Xu Jin watched Ju Zhang depart, casually dug out two star cores, then tossed the sixth-rank alien's corpse down—and frowned.

All aliens were dead, the Sacred envoy slain, yet the Altar Path still slowly grew upward.

How to stop it?

Xu Jin turned his gaze to the central Star Pivot Array and the six floating spheres of Huashih Star Domain's celestial will.

He flew over, plunged his soul-force into it, and instantly understood clearly.

Here were six-tenths of Huashih Star Domain's celestial will: two fire, three earth, one metal.

Xu Jin glanced at Ning Yuchan, Hou Yunzhang, and Ji Hongli—and made his decision.

"These are Huashih Star Domain's celestial wills. Only by assimilating them can we halt the Altar Path's growth. I'll distribute them—no objections?"

Xu Jin asked this not to seek consent, but merely to state his intent.

Xu Jin was no fool.

In this battle, he was the decisive force.

It was only right he distributed them.

"Who'd object? I'm just here for the ride—I'm already satisfied with this Fire Ox Shield. I want nothing else!" Hou Yunzhang spoke first.

Xu Jin nodded again.

This Hou Yunzhang knew when to advance and when to retreat—ungreedy and clear-eyed.

Ji Hongli and Ning Yuchan naturally had no objections.

"Yuchan, take this portion first. You cultivate metal—this will greatly help you." Xu Jin gave Ning Yuchan one-tenth of the metal celestial will.

Ning Yuchan accepted without hesitation and immediately began assimilating it as Xu Jin instructed.

"Little Fish, none of the rest suit you. I'll get you a wood one later if the chance arises." Xu Jin told Ji Hongli.

"Brother, I know—I already got one last time! You two assimilate; I'll stand guard!"

"No!"

"Don't you both sense how unprecedentedly dense the star power is inside this Altar Path?" Xu Jin warned.

At once, Hou Yunzhang's eyes lit up. "I noticed! The star power here is several times denser than in the fourth-rank star power secret realm I've entered! Training here for one or two days might yield an astonishing efficiency—perhaps two or three times higher."

"More than two or three times!"

Xu Jin activated the Eight Bright Star Patterns of the Star Palace, sensed briefly, and knew instantly.

"The star power density here is roughly eight times that of a fourth-rank star power secret realm!"

"Train here one day, and it equals eight days in a fourth-rank star power secret realm!"

"Eight times!"

Hou Yunzhang was stunned. "Then I must seize this opportunity—such chances are once-in-a-millennium!"

"Then I'll train hard too!" Ji Hongli chirped with a smile.

"Good. All of you, hurry."

With a thought, Xu Jin's soul-force hand snatched the five-tenths of fire and earth celestial will from the center of the Star Pivot Array and drew them into his arms to assimilate.

The instant the celestial will was removed from the Star Pivot Array, the entire Altar Path halted its growth.

Simultaneously, the thousand-meter Altar Path began to dissolve downward, as if merging back into the earth.

Even more startling to Xu Jin and the others: the "melting" of the Altar Path released star power.

The same amount of star power that had been drawn from the star domain to form the Altar Path now returned as it dissolved.

Instantly, the Altar Path collapsed like a crumbling structure, rapidly dissolving back.

At this rate, it would vanish completely within a day.

This gave Xu Jin an idea.

He returned one-tenth of the celestial will he had just gathered.

Instantly, the rate of dissolution halved.

At this pace, full dissolution would take two days. He returned another tenth—the dissolution slowed threefold.

Full dissolution now took four days.

He returned another tenth—the dissolution slowed fourfold, stretching to twelve days.

He returned yet another tenth.

The Altar Path ceased dissolving entirely—and began, imperceptibly, to grow again.

After thinking, Xu Jin returned one-tenth fire and two-tenths earth celestial will, controlling the Altar Path's dissolution speed.

He could assimilate those three-tenths later, after the Altar Path fully dissolved.

Suddenly, Hou Yunzhang, who had just begun training, spoke again. "Brother Qi, the star power here is so dense—shouldn't we call the others outside in to train?"

Xu Jin smiled and pointed to the star power surging like a river from the entrance. "They can't get in now, even if they wanted to."

"Ah, what a pity!"

Hou Yunzhang sighed. "Twelve straight days of training here equals one or two years of ordinary cultivation outside."

Xu Jin smiled but said nothing.

All fortune and misfortune are predestined.

If Li Tian and Cui Chongguang had been braver and followed in earlier, they'd be reaping this bounty now.

Cui Chongguang has a chance to break through to the sixth rank, while Li Tian's cultivation base might directly reach the ninth layer of the fifth rank.

But there's no choice—it's the path they chose themselves!

While cultivating, Ji Hongli suddenly spoke: "Senior Brother, do you think the Star Gathering Array would work here?"

Xu Jin's eyes snapped wide open.

Damn, Xiao Yuer's idea is bold as hell!

He didn't know, but they could try!

In the next instant, Ji Hongli pulled out her fifth-rank Star Gathering Array and set it down; the moment it activated, the concentration of stellar force within the array visibly intensified.

The stellar force had become so dense it was nearly liquefying!

"It works!"

Ji Hongli smiled sweetly, delighted.

But Xu Jin was stunned.

It works!

If it works, that's another fivefold increase on top of the eightfold base!

Fortyfold!

One day of cultivation here equals forty days of cultivation outside!

Normally, one cultivates only three or four hours a day—but now, they'd use all their time.

If they cultivated here for twelve days, wouldn't that equal three to five years of grueling cultivation in the outside world?

Beside him, Hou Yunzhang immediately pulled out his fourth-rank stellar force array, a look of surprise on his face.

Thirty-twofold!

This efficiency!

This concentration!

Without another word, they began—wasting even a second here was a crime!

"Xiao Yuer, first cultivate your Star Palace—keep your lower and middle Star Palaces' cultivation levels synchronized before you break through," Xu Jin whispered.

"Understood, Senior Brother!"

Then Xu Jin began refining the two elemental stellar wills—one of fire, one of earth.

During the refinement, Xu Jin suddenly frowned.

This refinement was different!

Xu Jin had refined many stellar wills before, but this one was unlike any he'd encountered.

It was immensely heavy, entangled with faint threads of other stellar wills.

In the next instant, Xu Jin pushed his eight Mingji Star Patterns in the lower Star Palace to their limit.

Instantly, he discovered something!

Xu Jin realized the altar's path was saturated with vast amounts of stellar wills not from the Huashi Star Region.

These stellar wills were thick and powerful, each containing immense cosmic will.

Stronger than any stellar will Xu Jin had refined before.

Five types, twelve strands total.

Xu Jin tried to capture them with his soul force—but failed.

Visible, but unattainable?

As Xu Jin frowned, he recalled how he'd first sensed these mighty stellar wills.

During the refinement of Huashi Star Region's stellar wills!

In the next instant, Xu Jin activated the newly refined fire-element stellar will—and instantly, he sensed one strand of immense cosmic will drifting through the altar's path.

He continuously activated it, continuously drew it closer, then slowly extended his soul force like a fisherman, patiently beginning to refine this extraordinarily powerful fire-element stellar will.

Normally, refining a single fire-element stellar will took Xu Jin fifteen minutes.

But this strand took him two full hours before he fully absorbed it.

The instant he successfully integrated it into his body, the mighty fire-element stellar will surged into his middle Star Palace and fused with his Fire Spirit Heart.

No—it instantly seized control of his Fire Spirit Heart.

More precisely, in an instant, it turned his Fire Spirit Heart into its vessel.

The Fire Spirit Heart, forged from over a dozen fire-element stellar wills, became like a child before this mighty fire-element cosmic will.

The moment it settled within him, a flood of information surged into Xu Jin's mind.

All manner of flame transformations—fire in stone, fire in wood, fire in water, fire in earth, from birth to blazing intensity to extinction—everything imaginable.

Including the origin of this mighty fire-element stellar will.

This torrent of information left Xu Jin dazed for half an hour before he'd processed even a fraction.

Xu Jin finally understood what he'd received—Primordial World Essence.

The world will of the ancestral realm's cave heaven.

Only one portion.

One percent.

And Xu Jin now understood the region this stellar will came from.

Countless stars exist in the universe, but to cultivators, they fall into three categories: Small Worlds, Medium Worlds, and Great Worlds.

The Huashi Star Region currently under conquest is a Small World.

Hundreds or thousands of Small Worlds can coalesce into a Medium World—its stellar wills are called Laws.

The current world, even the Star Battlefield, can be considered a Medium World.

Beyond that lies the Great World.

The stellar will of a Great World is called Primordial Force.

The source of power, the source of the world, the source of heaven and earth.

The ancestral realms of the alien races are fragments of a Great World.

The stellar wills they contain are Primordial Forces—hundred times stronger than those of a Small World.

Hence their immense power.

Though only one portion, it was far stronger than the dozen or so fire-element stellar wills Xu Jin had gathered from other star regions.

And here, there were twelve portions.

According to the feedback from this single portion of World Essence, one portion equaled ten Medium World Laws, one hundred Small World stellar wills.

In other words, gaining one portion of World Essence meant gaining one-tenth of a Medium World's Law, and ten-tenths of a Small World's stellar will.

This was unimaginable wealth!

Must be refined!

But Xu Jin didn't need to monopolize it all—he only needed to claim what he was best suited for.

In the next instant, Xu Jin directly whispered to Ning Yuchan and Ji Hongli.

Told them to stop cultivating and first attempt to absorb and refine this World Essence.

(End of Chapter)