Chapter 362: Missed Great Fortune

"Young Master Qi, the Altar Heavenly Path within is extremely dangerous—you must be exceedingly careful."

As Xu Jin had already stepped up to the Altar Heavenly Path, Domain Lord Meng Yanwei couldn't help but issue one final warning.

The reason it was a warning, not a plea, was chiefly due to the prior instructions from his elder brother, Meng Yanhui.

"Domain Lord, rest assured—I'll be cautious."

With that, Xu Jin turned his gaze toward the dozens of fifth-rank elites standing nearby.

These dozens of fifth-rank elites were half reinforcements, half under Domain Lord Meng Yanhui's command.

Almost as Xu Jin spoke, Ning Yuchan stepped forward and silently took her position to his left-rear; Ji Hongli stepped forward to his right-rear; and Hou Yunzhang, the fifth-rank ninth-layer peak, stood behind them both.

This formation left the other fifth-rank elites utterly astonished.

Is this arrogant fourth-rank eighth-layer really leading the charge?

And the fifth-rank ninth-layer has no objection?

Several quick-witted ones had already guessed: he must have some advantage!

After all, this Qi Tian Sheng doesn't look like the kind of fool who'd rush to his death.

"Young Master Qi, as fellow servants of Chen Guo, let me lend you a hand." Cui Jing stepped forward with resolve.

"I'm in too!" Lin Bicheng, who had earlier declared his intent to fight, and Lü Xiaole also strode forward.

Cui Jing advanced intending to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Xu Jin, but as he moved to pass, Ning Yuchan suddenly spoke: "Stay behind us—you'll die if you don't."

Cui Jing: "."

A woman saying that—nearly made Cui Jing storm back in rage.

But it was Chen Guo's affair; Cui Jing reluctantly took his place behind Ning Yuchan, side-by-side with Hou Yunzhang.

Lin Bicheng and Lü Xiaole could only fall in behind them.

Perhaps because of Cui Jing's words, or perhaps out of some sense of duty, two more Chen Guo elites, both only fifth-rank fourth-layer, silently stepped forward and took their place at the rear.

At this moment, Domain Lord Meng Yanwei glared sharply at his second son, Meng Fei, a young man of fifth-rank fourth-layer.

He had trained and nurtured him by his side for years, effectively grooming him as successor.

Under his father's furious stare, Meng Fei understood the meaning—he could only reluctantly step forward.

With the Domain Lord's son joining, three other fifth-rank late-stage elites under other Domain Lords also reluctantly joined.

If the Domain Lord's son met misfortune, they'd pay dearly.

Yet even so, of the forty to fifty fifth-rank elites, only nine ended up lining up behind Xu Jin.

Seeing this, Xu Jin smiled inwardly.

To give is to receive!

Only by letting go can you gain!

That's the truth!

"All of you—when you charge, don't rush to attack! Prioritize defense!" Xu Jin shouted to those behind him.

In truth, many had already planned to fight this way.

Especially the last few fifth-rank elites from within the domain—each held only one thought: if defeat loomed, rescue Prince Meng Fei, and that alone would count as great merit!

"Prepare!"

After Xu Jin's loud command, he turned toward the Altar Heavenly Path. Simultaneously, a vast surge of star-force erupted—the first to rise was the Fish Curtain Golden Bell; as thunder-light flashed, fifteen Heavenly Gang Thunder Chains materialized and instantly coalesced into a Heavenly Gang Thunder Chain Shield.

The next instant, the sixth-rank supreme-grade star-weapon, Golden Scale Shield, appeared—its innate defensive star-art, Golden Scale Overlapping Armor, activated.

Almost at once, the sixth-rank star-armors worn by Ji Hongli and Ning Yuchan also manifested, their Golden Scale Overlapping Armor activating simultaneously.

Hou Yunzhang unveiled his sixth-rank upper-grade star-weapon, Fire Ox Shield, its thick starlight blazing forth.

Hiss!

Behind them, sharp intakes of breath erupted.

This is insane—how luxurious!

Everyone has a sixth-rank upper-grade star-weapon?

He Fei, who wasn't fighting, nearly cursed aloud.

With this gear, he'd dare charge too—even if he couldn't break the formation, he'd surely survive.

Cui Jing activated his own sixth-rank star-armor, but his was only sixth-rank mid-grade.

These few? All sixth-rank upper-grade—no, two were sixth-rank supreme-grade.

The gap!

In contrast, Domain Lord Meng Yanwei behind them wasn't nearly as shocked.

Star-weapons matter, but who wields them matters more.

Even with star-weapons, survival is possible—but breaking the formation? Still nearly impossible!

Otherwise, you'd just pile on star-weapons and call it done.

As this scene unfolded, some among the non-combatant fifth-rank elites behind began to waver.

They thought: with such elite gear leading the charge, the risk of death might not be too high.

Some even entertained the idea of sneaking in for merit.

But Xu Jin had already given them their chance—now, there was no time to give them another.

"Charge!"

Before anyone could react, Xu Jin himself plunged headfirst into the Altar Heavenly Path's entrance.

Ning Yuchan, Ji Hongli, and Hou Yunzhang—all focused on Xu Jin—immediately followed in pursuit.

Only Cui Jing hesitated for a fraction of a second.

In less than a breath, all nine had charged into the Altar Heavenly Path.

Before him, starlight twisted and shifted—the moment Xu Jin entered, he triggered the fourth-rank earth and fire laws of the Battle Platform.

As for the five star-cores enshrined on the Battle Platform, Xu Jin had already replaced them with five thunder star-cores: two Lei Yuanxing patterns, two Lei Xiangxing patterns, and one Lei Yi—maximizing his thunder star-art.

Within the Central Star Palace, the Thunder Spirit Heart blazed with radiant light at the same instant.

At the moment of entry!

Eight terrifying star-force auras poured down from above.

As the Heavenly Gang Thunder Chain Shield rose, Xu Jin immediately activated Fire Cloud Divine Thunder—within the Central Star Palace, the reinforced third-layer Lei Yuanxing pattern formed a phantom tower of Lei Yuan, pushing his thunder star-art to its absolute limit.

BOOM!

At the very instant the eight sixth-rank late-stage aliens unleashed their full-force strikes, Xu Jin's Fire Cloud Divine Thunder crashed downward.

The devastating Fire Cloud Divine Thunder split into five the moment it struck, targeting five sixth-rank aliens.

In an instant, Xu Jin's Heavenly Gang Thunder Chain Shield shattered under the combined assault of two sixth-rank aliens.

Before the Fish Curtain Golden Bell could break, the remaining seven sixth-rank late-stage aliens' strikes arrived one after another—Xu Jin instantly activated his special star-art: Move Flower!

In an instant, the strongest of the green wind torrents struck him—only one-quarter of its force landed on him; the other three-quarters reversed and slammed back into the alien group, throwing one into chaos.

Simultaneously, Ning Yuchan, Ji Hongli, and Hou Yunzhang charged in.

Ning Yuchan whirled in like a storm, blocking two strikes for Xu Jin; Hou Yunzhang's Fire Ox Shield also blocked strikes from his side.

At that same moment, countless green lights erupted wildly, lashing out to entangle the eight sixth-rank aliens within the Altar Heavenly Path.

Instantly, all eight sixth-rank aliens were bound by green light, disrupting their second wave of attacks.

As the sixth-rank aliens frantically broke their bindings with star-force, Xu Jin stepped forward—Earth Magnetic Core!

Instantly, all aliens plummeted violently—then Ji Hongli's vine-light erupted again, pinning them in place.

BOOM!

Fire Cloud Divine Thunder erupted again!

Fire Cloud Divine Thunder—repeated strikes!

The first Fire Cloud Divine Thunder, split into five, shattered the aliens' protective starlight; the second strike killed three sixth-rank aliens outright.

At the same moment, Ning Yuchan unleashed her Storm Hammer.

One wounded sixth-rank eighth-layer alien tried to block with a defensive star-art—but his defense shattered instantly under Ning Yuchan's Storm Hammer.

The next instant, his entire body was pulverized by three consecutive hammer blows.

As Lei Yi shimmered, Xu Jin surged forward into the remaining four sixth-rank aliens—Heavenly Gang Thunder Chains shot out like octopus tentacles, instantly wrapping all four remaining sixth-rank aliens.

As the four sixth-rank aliens desperately tried to break free, Ning Yuchan's Storm Hammer completed her second kill.

Above, the Saint Clan envoy Ju Wu was stunned by what he saw.

Only one breath.

Only one breath.

Five of the eight sixth-rank late-stage aliens had been slain!

This—

In terror, Envoy Ju Wu pulled out the seventh-rank star-core granted by the Special Envoy—the one he relied on to survive and suppress aliens.

But Xu Jin, who had already killed two envoys, knew this trick all too well.

With a flick of Lei Yi, Xu Jin lunged toward the envoy—while simultaneously hurling a fist-sized Sun Star Art toward the strongest of them, the Green Wing King.

Shhh!

The blinding flash of the Sun Star Art exploded in unison with the triple sonic boom.

At the sound of the sonic boom, Xu Jin, wielding the Fire Ox Sword, shattered Envoy Ju Wu's skull—and pinned him to the very top of the Altar Heavenly Path with the Moon Shadow Sword.

This Altar Heavenly Path was extremely close to the Saint Clan's ancestral realm.

Closer than when the Hua Shi Star Domain broke through.

Because the connection was nearly complete, the Sacred Clan's envoy Ju Zhang had assigned specialists to guard this location.

Ju Wu's shattered remains and blood instantly splattered onto the summit of the Altar Sky Path, startling the guards here into leaping back.

After a moment of stunned silence, they roared out to report to the Sacred Clan's envoy.

Below, the Qingyi King, already badly wounded by the Fire Cloud Divine Thunder, had been instantly incinerated into ash by the Great Sun Star Art.

Of the remaining two alien beings, Ning Yuchan killed one with three hammer strikes.

The last one was entangled by Ji Hongli's thick emerald-green light; just as Hou Yunzhang charged forward and raised his blade to break through its defenses, Ji Hongli's countless vines pierced into the body of this sixth-rank, eighth-layer alien.

The next instant, Ji Hongli activated the Hundred Herb Star Pattern and detonated it.

Boom!

This sixth-rank, eighth-layer alien became the most horrifically killed of all the aliens.

He was blown to pieces!

Below, Cui Jing, Lin Bicheng, Lü Xiaole, Meng Fei, and five other fifth-rank elites, who had just rushed in and were cautiously defending themselves, preparing to strike at the right moment, were bathed in a rain of blood and debris.

They froze.

Truly, utterly stunned.

Is it over already?

Those eight powerful sixth-rank aliens who had killed several of their elites and nearly trapped them here—just like that?

One and a half breaths.

They had barely rushed in, hadn't even had time to assess the situation?

It's over!

These were the same aliens who had driven them into desperate flight before!

Inside the Altar Sky Path, the Domain Lord Meng Yanwei was genuinely shocked.

He trusted his elder brother, so he supported and respected Xu Jin.

He had considered that Xu Jin might break through the Altar Sky Path.

It was possible.

But it would surely require a bloody battle!

But now!

There was bloodshed!

But it was all alien blood.

Too fast!

For the fifth-rank elites who had not entered, Xu Jin's breakthrough had been astonishingly swift!

Especially He Fei—he had merely turned around and spoken a word to the junior behind him.

A rain of blood descended inside the Altar Sky Path.

Then, all the aliens were dead!

Is the formation already broken?

He Fei even rubbed his eyes in disbelief—had he imagined it?

Almost simultaneously, someone regretted it.

Merit!

They had missed a massive wave of merit!

The Altar Sky Path had been broken so easily—Domain Lord had promised great rewards.

All participants would be rewarded.

But now, the Altar Sky Path was broken, yet they had no part in it!

At the very top of the Altar Sky Path, Envoy Ju Zhang rushed over at top speed, his expression furious.

Ji Chuan Star Domain would be fully connected in less than two days.

Again, it had been stopped!

Damn humans!

But when Envoy Ju Zhang saw that familiar face, all his rage instantly turned to killing intent!

"It's you again!" came the voice of Envoy Ju Zhang from the fallen Sacred Ancestor Golden Token.

"Yes, it's me!" Xu Jin looked at the envoy's murderous face and laughed freely.

"The human who meant to cut off your horn and turn it into a plaything!"

"Wait!"

"Your head will one day become my wine cup!" Envoy Ju Zhang stared at Xu Jin, speaking each word slowly.

"I need a chamber pot—your big head looks perfect!" Xu Jin laughed, gave the envoy a throat-slitting gesture, then stepped on starlight and slowly descended toward the Star Pivot Array below.

Only Envoy Ju Zhang remained, staring through the Altar Sky Path at Xu Jin with eyes that wished to carve him into a thousand pieces!

On the Star Pivot Sky Path, five spheres of Celestial Star Will hovered.

Xu Jin glanced once and recognized them: two wind, one wood, two earth.

Only five—so Domain Lord Meng Yanwei might have two.

"Little Fish, you take the wood one."

"Yuchan, since there's no metal, start your cultivation directly."

"Brother Hou, start cultivating too!"

The next instant, after Ji Hongli took the wood Celestial Star Will and Xu Jin took one of the wind ones, the Altar Sky Path began rapidly collapsing, and a torrent of star energy poured down like a tidal wave.

In an instant, everyone—including Cui Jing, Lin Bicheng, Lü Xiaole, Meng Fei—felt the star energy shift within the Altar Sky Path.

Within just one or two breaths, they felt as if submerged in water.

The star energy was as thick as water—how dense could it be?

How efficient would cultivation be here?

Seeing Cui Jing and the others still stunned, Hou Yunzhang, experienced as he was, pulled out a newly purchased fifth-rank Star Gathering Array Plate. "My lords, you really think my young master is arrogant? He's showering you with boundless fortune.

Hurry up!

One day of cultivation here equals seven or eight days outside; with a Star Gathering Array Plate, it equals thirty to fifty days outside.

Hurry!"

Only then did Meng Fei and the others realize—astonished, then overjoyed.

If this was true, then they had truly stumbled upon a fortune beyond measure.

But how long could they cultivate here?

On the other side, as Ning Yuchan also pulled out a fifth-rank Star Gathering Array Plate and began cultivating, Cui Jing, Lin Bicheng, Meng Fei, Lü Xiaole, and seven others followed suit, frantically pulling out their own array plates to begin cultivation.

"Damn, a fourth-rank array plate's efficiency is over thirty-two times that of outside—so one day here equals thirty-two days outside!

And it's even more than that!

Outside, I only cultivate four hours a day, but here—" Lin Bicheng suddenly cried out.

But instantly, another gasped in panic: "I didn't activate my Nectar Space—I didn't bring a Star Gathering Array Plate! What do I do now?"

Nearby, Hou Yunzhang, who had just begun cultivating, said: "I have a freshly replaced fourth-rank Star Gathering Array Plate—want it? I can give it to you."

"Give it to me! Give it to me!"

"Give it to me—I'll pay market price!"

"I'll add two-tenths!"

Those who missed out on Hou Yunzhang's plate were helplessly furious.

Had this boundless fortune slipped right past them?

"Don't rush—I have an old third-rank array plate I replaced earlier. Use it for now. We all need rest to recover our spirit power—you two, take turns using it, take turns cultivating." Cui Jing arranged.

Inside the Altar Sky Path, Xu Jin was already fully activating the eight Mingji Star Patterns in his Lower Star Palace, searching the entire Altar Sky Path for the World Will he had obtained last time.

Last time, he had gotten twelve portions—making him a fortune.

This time, would there be any?

How many portions?

As Xu Jin began sensing and searching the Altar Sky Path, outside, the group of fifth-rank elites were utterly bewildered.

The battle was over, yet these people didn't come out—they were pulling out Star Gathering Array Plates and starting to cultivate?

What were they doing?

They were completely confused.

Could cultivation inside the Altar Sky Path be that effective?

As the group debated, Domain Lord Meng Yanwei noticed his son Meng Fei had pulled out a fifth-rank Star Gathering Array Plate and was now deeply focused on cultivation. Surprised, he stepped forward to sense the energy.

As soon as he reached the entrance of the Altar Sky Path, he was knocked off-balance by the torrent of star energy pouring out from within!

Stunned, Domain Lord Meng Yanwei suddenly understood.

"The Altar Sky Path was formed by the aliens using the Celestial Star Will of this star domain to gather massive star energy. Now that the Altar Sky Path is broken, this vast star energy, no longer controlled, naturally spills out and returns to the domain.

But the concentration of star energy inside the Altar Sky Path must have reached an astonishing level!

Cultivation here should be at least four to five times, even six or seven times more efficient than outside!

Add the Star Gathering Array's concentration effect, and the efficiency—"

Here, Domain Lord Meng Yanwei suddenly fell silent.

He understood.

He understood everything!

He understood why Qi Tian Sheng had ordered these fifth-rank elites to join the battle before it began.

It wasn't to have them help.

Given the power Qi Tian Sheng had just displayed within the Altar Heavenly Path.

He didn't need them.

It was to give them their share of the bounty!

Too bad, some of the people here...

Fortunately!

Fortunately, he had listened to his elder brother's advice and let his son Meng Fei enter.

As long as the time wasn't too short, Meng Fei's cultivation base should surge by one full realm!

Fortune!

Great fortune!

Upon Lord Meng Yanwei's words, dozens of fifth-rank elites who had not participated stood frozen, led by He Fei.

The Lord would not lie to them; they had seen the changes with their own eyes—what he said was true!

In an instant, everyone realized they might have missed a fortune beyond measure.

But some were clever.

The Altar Heavenly Path wasn't closed to entry.

They could still enter now.

All they had to do was swallow their pride and say a few humble words.

There was benefit to be had—what did it matter?

This group, led by He Fei.

The next instant, He Fei and his companions rushed straight toward the Altar Heavenly Path, eager to enter and cultivate, to enjoy this great fortune!

But as soon as they reached the base of the Altar Heavenly Path's entrance, the torrential star power slammed into them, hurling them backward!

He Fei, hit hardest, even spat blood and was injured by the backlash!

"We can't get in anymore!" someone cried helplessly.

Others felt as if knives had pierced their hearts!

They were filled with regret so deep it turned their intestines green!

A great fortune, rare in a lifetime, had appeared before them—and they had willingly turned it away!

Wiping blood from his lips, He Fei stared at those cultivating within the Altar Heavenly Path, filled with envy and resentment.

Especially his gaze fixed on Xu Jin—his anger burned even hotter.

"Damn it, why so cruel? With such a huge benefit, would it kill you to give a heads-up!" He Fei cursed inwardly.

This scene made Lord Meng Yanwei shake his head repeatedly.

(End of Chapter)