Chapter 410: What if I Spare Your Life Too?

"You—you really are who?"

The captured Kang Jie stared at Xu Jin in utter terror.

Had it not been for the proximity, and his undeniable perception that this young man's cultivation base was truly Fifth Realm, Third Layer, he would have suspected the man was hiding as a Seventh or Eighth Realm cultivator.

"Is the person still alive?" Xu Jin asked.

"What person?"

Seeing Kang Jie still pretending ignorance, Xu Jin wasted no words; he placed his palm atop Kang Jie's head, and with a single whisper of Wen Meng, Kang Jie instantly fell into deep slumber.

A few breaths later, Xu Jin's expression turned grim.

Killed!

Three Jinshan Dao Academy disciples had already been slain by Kang Jie.

Their corpses had been stored in the Numinous Space.

The reason for the killings had also been extracted.

The Tianyang Star Palace had discovered this mysterious star gate; the moment they reported it, the Tianyang Star Jun immediately ordered Kang Jie, the head of the nearest Yanzhou branch, to seize the gate, forbidding anyone from approaching or entering.

The reason was simple: the number of entries and exits through each star gate of the Qisha Secret Realm was strictly limited.

Fewer than seven, up to several hundred.

Under such conditions, the total number of people entering the Qisha Secret Realm was capped.

Thus, the more individuals one side sent in, the greater their theoretical chance of obtaining the Qisha Secret Realm's inheritance.

Similarly, the greater their chance of acquiring the Divine Dao True Meaning capable of breaking through the Ninth Realm.

Most people did not know about the Divine Dao True Meaning—but the State Advisor had already informed Xu Jin.

After a moment's thought, Xu Jin retrieved the Mandarin Duck Seal.

It had been discovered earlier from Xue Shenzi Fu Ying's possession, used exclusively for one-on-one communication between Xue Shenzi Fu Ying and Emperor Gan'an.

The first time he found it, Xu Jin had realized how incredibly useful it was.

Though it was a one-way link, it ignored distance and even star domains, enabling cross-star communication.

Extremely useful.

The Zhaixing Tower's starlight messaging, while convenient, had a very limited range.

Even though Xu Jin had now upgraded his Zhaixing Token to Third Rank, and, as a Silver-Rank Authority Holder, had doubled its communication range,

deep within the Daqing Mountains, it was as if he had entered a dead zone.

He could no longer contact the State Advisor or Jinshan Dao Academy.

But after slaying Emperor Gan'an, Xu Jin had seized the other half of the Mandarin Duck Seal from Gan'an's Numinous Space—the pair matched perfectly with the one he'd taken from Xue Shenzi Fu Ying.

Xu Jin cultivated one for himself and gave the other to the State Advisor Cheng Yuexiao for easy communication.

He also instructed Xue Shenzi Fu Ying to try purchasing several more pairs of Mandarin Duck Seals from the Xue Shen Jiao headquarters.

When obtained, whether for personal use or for the State Advisor, their value would be incalculable.

Unfortunately, they had not yet been acquired.

According to Xue Shenzi Fu Ying, the Xue Shen Jiao headquarters tightly controlled the Mandarin Duck Seals—not only were they exorbitantly priced, but sales were strictly restricted.

Only a select few major clients were granted purchase rights; they were not generally sold to the public.

He was still working on it.

But for now, having even one pair was sufficient.

Soon, the State Advisor Cheng Yuexiao sent a message via the Mandarin Duck Seal.

"When will this internal strife end!"

"Even if I do not wish for internal conflict, what can I do if the other factions keep pushing?" said the State Advisor Cheng Yuexiao.

"Kill him!"

"State Advisor, what if I hold this position? The Tianyang Star Palace has already discovered this entrance to the Qisha Secret Realm—soon, a flood of elites will arrive!

Below Seventh Realm, I'll kill them all!" Xu Jin said, brimming with murderous intent.

Xu Jin dared not boast about Seventh Realm.

But below Seventh Realm, Xu Jin now truly had the confidence.

"We still don't know the conditions inside the Qisha Secret Realm—whether entering early or late makes any difference.

No one knows if entering early grants any advantage!

I think since you're already here, you should enter first to explore and see if you can secure an advantage.

The elites I've selected have already departed and will arrive within one or two hours," the State Advisor Cheng Yuexiao advised.

Xu Jin followed the advice without hesitation.

The State Advisor's suggestion was sound.

If entering early truly offered benefits, staying here would be a waste.

In the next instant, Xu Jin shattered Kang Jie's skull with a palm strike, then slowly extracted his Numinous Space.

What met his eyes first were the three corpses of Jinshan Dao Academy disciples.

This bastard had collected their bodies.

This made Xu Jin sigh.

As the State Advisor said, internal strife was too severe.

Exploring the Qisha Secret Realm was meant to be a collective effort to gather benefits.

Yet before even entering the secret realm, over a dozen had already died in battle.

And this was only one location.

Add in the other star gates of the Qisha Secret Realm appearing elsewhere, and the death toll would only rise.

Kang Jie, a Sixth Realm powerhouse, had only a few hundred Fifth Realm Star Jade Tablets in his Numinous Space—a pauper.

The only decent gains were two vials of Long Gui Duan Po Pills.

A few breaths later, Xu Jin gathered the corpses of the slain Tianyang Star Palace disciples and unleashed Xuan Ji Tian Fire; within moments, they were reduced to ash.

As for the Jinshan Dao Academy disciples' corpses, Xu Jin stored them in his Numinous Space to be properly buried by Jinshan Dao Academy after returning from the Qisha Secret Realm.

Through continuous expansion, Xu Jin's Numinous Space had grown large enough.

Four meters long, three meters wide, three meters high.

Though still too small to hold a Star Vessel, it could now store a great deal.

In the next instant, Xu Jin activated the Fish Curtain Golden Bell, sank his mind into the Seven-Star Fire Rhino Armor, and, without unleashing its power, stepped forward into the star gate before him.

The Qisha Secret Realm: no taboos.

Seventh or even Eighth Realm forces might appear—he needed to be extremely cautious.

The instant he passed through the star gate, Xu Jin clearly felt his body pause; a glow of aurora seemed to illuminate him, rendering his entire being transparent in an instant, while starlight flickered before his eyes, and he entered the Qisha Secret Realm.

The next moment, the starlight settled, and Xu Jin landed within a strange star-domain secret realm.

Inside the star-domain secret realm, there were no countless stars—only a single brilliant star hung high in the sky.

The surroundings stretched boundlessly, as if he stood in an open wilderness.

Yet before him extended forty-nine beams of light, like paths, stretching into the distance.

He spread his soul-force, activated the Mingji Star Pattern—no danger detected in any direction.

Xu Jin tried advancing, but the moment his toe touched the edge of the forty-nine beams, a transparent light barrier rose, blocking him.

On the barrier's surface, a sequence of light projections appeared.

【Qisha First Trial: Fate!】

【Will open in fifty-two hours】

It was immediately clear.

Nearly four and a half days before opening—he had arrived too early.

And what did "Fate" mean in this Qisha First Trial?

As he pondered, distant starlight suddenly rained down, one after another.

Starlight fell like rain—more people had entered.

Xu Jin remained cautious, his gaze fixed eagerly on the newcomers; the moment the first starlight fully resolved, his expression changed sharply.

Alien race!

Golden-Horned Alien Race!

In an instant, Xu Jin recalled the Sacred Clan Envoy Ju Zhang.

These were undoubtedly Ju Zhang's kin—the golden horns were unmistakable.

Instantly, starlight surged around Xu Jin, the Fish Curtain Golden Bell shimmered, thunder flickered between his fingers—he prepared for battle.

Once the other dozens of starlights landed and he confirmed the enemy's strength, he intended to slaughter them all!

He couldn't kill Sacred Clan Envoy Ju Zhang.

But he could snap off these aliens' golden horns and play with them.

Based on his previous observations in combat, the golden horns might be valuable materials for crafting star artifacts.

One after another, alien starlight descended.

Within mere breaths, over a hundred Golden-Horned Aliens had landed.

Xu Jin shifted from offense to defense.

For among these hundred Golden-Horned Aliens, four were Seventh Realm!

Four Seventh Realm Golden-Horned Aliens, their cultivation ranging from early to late Seventh Realm.

But this had put Xu Jin on high alert.

One eighth-rank, he might still escape alive if he attacked.

But two or more? It would be extremely difficult.

If three or more attacked, it might be Xu Jin who was left behind.

Xu Jin had already begun considering his escape route.

If so many alien races came charging, how could he possibly survive?

But with his Thunder Dash speed, he might still shake off these eighth-rank aliens.

In the next instant, a beam of radiant starlight descended, and a towering alien with a golden single horn glowing with starlight landed before him.

The moment it landed, Xu Jin gasped sharply, his expression twisted, his heart pounding wildly!

Eighth-rank!

An eighth-rank early-stage Golden Horn alien had arrived.

Now, Xu Jin dared not entertain even a shred of Jiaoxing.

Facing an eighth-rank, with all his tricks, survival was still possible.

But an eighth-rank? There could be no illusions.

Dancing on the blade's edge? Do it once in a while, that's enough.

You might succeed hundreds of times, but one failure could cost you your life.

At that same instant, the earliest group of Golden Horn aliens also spotted Xu Jin.

As the group shouted and clamored, they charged toward Xu Jin.

With an eighth-rank among them, Xu Jin no longer even thought of exploiting chaos—he summoned his Thunder Wings and prepared to flee outright.

He just didn't know how large the Seven Kill Secret Realm was—whether it could grant him escape from these aliens.

In the next instant, over forty Golden Horn aliens laughed excitedly and surged toward Xu Jin.

Crash!

As Xu Jin turned to flee, a sharp, jarring collision sound startled him.

The instant he saw what had happened, he retracted his Thunder Wings, pulling them tight, and a transparent barrier materialized before him.

Even with his quick reflexes, he still slammed into it.

His speed had been too great—the Thunder Wings shattered on impact. Luckily, the Fish Curtain Golden Bell protected his body; otherwise, he'd have injured himself by crashing into his own barrier—how absurd.

You won't believe it—among the forty-plus aliens chasing him, three had crashed into the barrier and were left bleeding from the impact!

Blood sprayed directly onto the invisible barrier, cascading down like ink, adding a chilling aura.

Over a hundred elite aliens, separated by the barrier, turned their gazes toward Xu Jin.

The lead eighth-rank alien studied Xu Jin with interest and chuckled, "I've never seen a human from this world before! But your appearance is no different from the humans I'm familiar with."

"Human, what is your name?"

"And what is your name? What is your relation to Ju Zhang?" Xu Jin replied with a counter-question.

The eighth-rank Golden Horn alien showed surprise, then bowed to Xu Jin. "You know my elder brother Ju Zhang? It seems he has some reputation."

"I am Ju Xuan of the Golden Pillar Sacred Clan, here specifically to explore the Seven Kill Secret Realm."

"Chen Guo, Qi Tian Sheng," Xu Jin returned the bow.

Seeing Xu Jin so composed, Ju Xuan laughed again. "A mere fifth-rank human, facing an eighth-rank like me, calm and unruffled—you must be a true talent! You're worth a few words of idle chat."

"Here's an idea: since the Seven Kill Secret Realm hasn't opened yet, let's chat like friends. If we meet again someday, we can settle things Shengsi. What do you say?"

"Fine."

Xu Jin wanted to gather some intelligence and exchange a few words.

As Ju Xuan said, the Seven Kill Secret Realm hadn't opened yet—might as well chat while waiting.

"Alright," Ju Xuan proposed. "I'll ask you three questions. Answer truthfully, and if we meet again, I'll spare your life."

Hearing this, Xu Jin said, "How about this: I ask you three questions. Answer truthfully, and if we meet again, I'll spare your life."

Ju Xuan froze.

Then he said slowly, "You're serious?"

"Of course."

"Hahahaha!"

After a few stunned breaths, Ju Xuan burst into loud, unrestrained laughter. "Interesting! Very interesting!"

They say humans are full of talents, every one a cunning hero!

Today, I see it's true!

A fifth-rank dares to speak such bold words—truly has some courage!"

As he laughed, dozens of starlights suddenly descended in another part of the space—distantly, they wore the robes of the Cang Ming Star Hall, the strongest among them radiating a seventh-rank aura.

The moment they landed, they spotted the Golden Horn aliens and instantly went on high alert.

Especially upon seeing Ju Xuan, the seventh-rank trembled with panic, forcing calm as he ordered his elites into formation—his voice shook!

"I take back my words! Not all humans are talents, not all are heroes!"

"There are plenty of cowards too!"

Ju Xuan sneered at the distant Cang Ming Star Hall experts.

Especially the two fifth-ranks and three fourth-ranks at the front, staring at the hundred-plus Golden Horn aliens—including four seventh-ranks and one eighth-rank—were trembling with fear.

Three of them even collapsed to the ground, only rising slowly after being kicked by their comrades.

After a long pause, they finally realized the truth, their faces flushed with shame.

What a disgrace!

But Xu Jin understood: those who entered through the same star-gate were confined within the same barrier space.

Those who entered through different star-gates were separated into different spaces.

He wondered whether anything would change once the Seven Kill Secret Realm fully opened.

Half a minute later, over fifty starlights suddenly descended behind Xu Jin.

Xu Jin glanced back—and smiled.

"Headmaster! Teacher!"

The newcomers were led by Headmaster Dong Zhao and Teacher Liu Qingzhu!

At the same time, starlights kept descending from every direction.

The natural starlight barrier had split them into over a dozen separate zones.

Suddenly, nearly a hundred more starlights descended simultaneously behind Xu Jin, Dong Zhao, and the others.

It was the Tianyang Star Sect's forces—arrived!

But when Dong Zhao saw their leader, his face darkened.

Seventh-rank!

The Tianyang Star Sect had sent a seventh-rank!

(End of Chapter)