Chapter 425: The Second Kill and the Strange Situation

Among today's human seventh-rank elites, each one is a fierce infighter.

But when they unite, their strategies become endlessly ingenious.

Each of them devised various tactics based on the known strengths and traits of the eighth-rank powerhouse Ju Xuan, including contingency plans.

Xu Jin, as an observer, felt sweat break out on Ju Xuan's behalf.

While the seventh-rank elites discussed tactics, Xu Jin merely listened from afar and did not participate.

Aside from Mountain Head Dong Zhao, no one knew Xu Jin's true combat strength.

With nine seventh-rank elites, the chance of killing Ju Xuan is very high.

But the difficulty isn't once—it's four times!

Under the advantage of surprise, killing Ju Xuan once is easy; killing him three or four times is extremely hard.

Xu Jin strongly suspects Ju Xuan has already mastered the Seventh Kill Dragon Stake to its third level.

That means Ju Xuan has gained three chances of substitutional death.

Given Ju Xuan's strength, he likely didn't use any substitutional death in the previous five trials.

Thus, to completely kill Ju Xuan, they must strike him at least four times.

That is the hardest part.

Fifteen minutes before the Seventh Kill Palace emerged, the group of seventh-rank elites concluded their deliberations and finalized their strategy.

But it imposed another restriction on Mountain Head Dong Zhao and Xu Jin.

Before the battle ended, they were forbidden from entering the Seventh Kill Palace prematurely.

Otherwise, they too would abandon the battle and rush into the Seventh Kill Palace.

Xu Jin and Dong Zhao had no choice but to comply, and they understood the elites' reasoning.

No one knew whether entering the Seventh Kill Palace first offered any advantage, or whether the first entrant could claim the best rewards.

So it was better to impose restrictions.

Xu Jin had thought this way, but he did not wish to follow it.

Uniting so many seventh-rank elites was Xu Jin's plan—he could not sabotage his own meticulously prepared scheme.

DONG!

Suddenly, a bell rang throughout the Seventh Kill Secret Realm, and starlight immediately appeared in the sky.

【The Seventh Kill Palace will soon emerge. Within three days, anyone bearing the Seventh Kill Token who enters the palace shall become my disciple by name.】

The moment the starlight appeared, every eye turned to scan the horizon.

Searching for the direction from which the Seventh Kill Palace would rise.

The next instant, a cluster of starlight slowly rose from the highest peak of the distant mountain range.

"The Seventh Kill Palace is there!" Ye Feng shouted.

Almost simultaneously, everyone saw a brilliant light streaking across the distance like a meteor, racing toward the rising palace.

The aura, the speed—no guesswork needed; it was undoubtedly Ju Xuan, the eighth-rank Jintian alien.

Distance-wise, it was roughly equal.

But Ju Xuan had already gained a slight advantage—and his speed was faster than theirs.

He would certainly arrive first.

That meant the second scenario they had discussed would unfold: Ju Xuan would reach the Seventh Kill Palace first and guard its gate.

"Gentlemen, follow the plan," said Marquis Song Shoujie of the Cang River, addressing the ninth seventh-rank elites.

In the next instant, the nine seventh-rank elites bowed respectfully, each leading their surviving fifth- and sixth-rank elites, charging toward the Seventh Kill Palace from different directions.

At the peak of the wild mountain range, where starlight flickered and vanished, a grand palace slowly materialized.

Though the palace was immense, the most striking feature was the towering building at its rear.

Seeing the tower's shape, Xu Jin, flying just behind Marquis Song Shoujie, suddenly narrowed his eyes.

That tower—why does it resemble the Star-Picking Tower I've seen before?

At the palace gate, Ju Xuan, who had just arrived, circled the Seventh Kill Palace at top speed, attempting to enter from every direction.

But whether he charged through the walls or from the air, he only triggered a ripple of starlight—each impact caused the Seventh Kill Palace to vanish outright.

Step back, and the palace reappeared.

It was like a mirage.

All of it was illusory.

Only the palace gate was real.

Yet even with his eighth-rank power, Ju Xuan's full-force assault left the gate utterly unmoved.

Clearly, the only way to enter the Seventh Kill Palace was with the Seventh Kill Token.

Fortunately, the palace gate was not large—though majestic, it was only several zhang wide, easily defensible by one man.

He prepared to hold the gate at all costs, killing anyone who dared approach with a Seventh Kill Token.

Ideally, annihilate them all.

Then he would enter alone and claim the Seventh Kill True Person's legacy.

But only five breaths later, Ju Xuan's expression changed.

Suddenly, sixty to seventy streaks of starlight surged toward him from ahead.

Nine of them radiated seventh-rank aura.

Behind each of those nine seventh-rank streaks followed a group of sixth- and fifth-rank starlight.

Nine teams in total.

The nine teams formed a semi-encirclement, advancing at nearly identical speeds toward him.

In an instant, Ju Xuan understood.

The modern humans had coordinated to surround and annihilate him!

The Holy Ancestor said modern humans were cunning—now he saw it was true!

Nine seventh-ranks, all elite modern humans—there was a real chance they could kill him.

In an instant, the battle-hardened Ju Xuan made his decision.

In the outside world, seeing such a force, he would have fled immediately.

But within the Seventh Kill Secret Realm, he had three substitutional death chances.

The next instant, starlight surged around Ju Xuan; a Seven-Star Spirit Armor materialized, his single horn glowed golden, and behind him, the Star Tower appeared.

Almost simultaneously, the nine seventh-ranks accelerated, charging at Ju Xuan as one.

The first strike came from Hou Ziang of the Wood Spirit Palace—a thunderbolt as thick as a water barrel, immensely powerful—but Ju Xuan blocked it effortlessly.

The next instant, Ju Xuan moved to attack Hou Ziang, the fastest among them.

But his charge struck an invisible barrier.

Two seventh-ranks from the Xumi Palace simultaneously acted, deploying spatial barriers to halt Ju Xuan.

At the same moment, the other seven seventh-ranks unleashed full-force attacks.

Green light writhed from all directions, binding Ju Xuan; ice-star power, fire-star power, thunder, earth-star power—all converged on him instantly.

Ju Xuan's body erupted in golden light; the Star Tower behind him blazed, shattering wave after wave of colossal star power.

So strong!

But one against nine!

And soon, it became one against sixty!

As the seventh-ranks entered the fray, the sixth-ranks behind them joined the battle.

Especially the sixth-ranks of the Wood Spirit Palace—each fired a thunderbolt skyward, and the moment they did, seventh-rank Hou Ziang struck again.

Their star power shared the same origin; instantly, Hou Ziang's thunder-star technique fused with the sixth-ranks' thunder-star techniques and slammed down upon Ju Xuan—BOOM!

The protective starlight above Ju Xuan's head shattered into layers of cracks.

The other attackers' concentrated strikes followed in relentless succession.

Even better, the two Xumi Palace seventh-ranks' spatial barrier techniques were executed flawlessly.

Whenever Ju Xuan tried to break left or right, invisible spatial barriers materialized directly in his path.

Spatial star techniques were strange and powerful.

Even Ju Xuan needed to channel his cultivation to shatter them.

But their goal was only to delay him for a single instant.

That was exactly what happened now.

In Xu Jin's Mingji Star Pattern, Ju Xuan was pushed to the brink under concentrated fire; his golden horn flashed as he targeted one attacker, then surged forward with all his might.

But at that very moment, two invisible spatial barriers appeared to his left and right, halting him for an instant.

That instant plunged Ju Xuan back into the storm of concentrated attacks.

And sealed his fate.

Even if the targeted seventh-rank elite of the Wood Spirit Palace, Hou Ziang, was blasted into spitting blood—it didn't matter!

The concentrated fire came not only from the seventh-ranks, but also from Dong Zhao and the sixth-ranks.

The next instant, Ju Xuan's form dissolved under nearly a hundred streaks of starlight.

But Xu Jin's Mingji Star Pattern sensed that, in the final moment before his form vanished, Ju Xuan had retracted his Seven-Star Spirit Armor into his body.

Ju Xuan had willingly abandoned his defense!

That meant Ju Xuan had chosen death himself.

The eighth-rank outsider from Jin Zhu, Ju Xuan, was surrounded and slain!

But no one showed any sign of relief.

The first time, catching the enemy off-guard with such overwhelming numbers, was the easiest.

What comes after is the hardest!

They all understood that in his previous battle, Ju Xuan had attacked nearly every seventh-rank present one or two times.

This was an extremely sophisticated tactic.

He was studying his attackers!

"Prepare!" suddenly shouted Marquis Song Shoujie of Luoshui, and a speck of starlight suddenly reappeared at the spot where Ju Xuan had just died.

In the next instant, as the starlight fully erupted, every one of them focused their attacks on Ju Xuan.

At that same moment, the starlight exploded, and eight Ju Xuan figures shot out in all directions.

It was Ju Xuan's illusionary body technique.

No one panicked!

All seventh-ranks calmly struck the illusionary bodies before them.

Seven figures shattered instantly; only the Ju Xuan charging toward Zhang Lin was the true body.

Watching Ju Xuan furiously channel starlight from his Star Tower and golden horn toward him, Zhang Lin remained utterly calm, conjuring one massive ice shield after another before him, while his Seven-Star Spirit Armor materialized.

Just as Ju Xuan's ultimate strike shattered Zhang Lin's fifth ice shield and struck his Seven-Star Spirit Armor, the spatial cuts from two seventh-ranks of Xumi Palace simultaneously descended.

They directly severed Ju Xuan's starlight output.

Zhang Lin's Seven-Star Spirit Armor rippled violently, a trickle of blood seeping from his lips.

Focused fire came again!

A few breaths later, amid Ju Xuan's furious, unwilling roar, he disintegrated into starlight under the combined assault of all sides.

Yet Xu Jin, who had been continuously activating the Mingji Star Pattern, still noticed that before being slain, Ju Xuan had deliberately retracted his Seven-Star Spirit Armor into his body.

The eighth-rank warrior Ju Xuan died a second time!

Having slain an eighth-rank warrior twice, some faces now wore relaxed smiles.

The coordination among the elite seventh-ranks had been quite good.

Especially this second killing—it was truly a brute-force annihilation!

"Marquis, I just noticed Ju Xuan retracted his Seven-Star Spirit Armor into his body just before death—be wary of his explosive counterattack!

It might come this third time." Xu Jin proactively sent a mental warning.

"I understand."

"Everyone, give it your all!"

Almost the instant Marquis Song Shoujie shouted, a speck of starlight reappeared once more at the spot where the eighth-rank Ju Xuan had just died; Ju Xuan's figure swiftly emerged from the starlight, his face twisted in fury.

In the next instant, Ju Xuan appeared, his Seven-Star Spirit Armor materialized, golden light flared from his golden horn, and his Star Tower behind him shimmered with starlight.

Everyone simultaneously focused their attacks on the eighth-rank Ju Xuan.

In Xu Jin's perception through the Mingji Star Pattern, this time Ju Xuan did not strike first, but waited until the nine seventh-ranks unleashed their combined assault before acting again.

After enduring two attacks, Ju Xuan once more split into eight forms, charging toward the nearest seventh-rank warrior.

Ju Xuan possessed the Illusionary Body Technique—Xu Jin had long ago informed everyone.

The present-day elite seventh-ranks already had a pre-established tactic.

Now, as Ju Xuan activated the Illusionary Body Technique again, everyone followed the same strategy: destroy the illusions first, then reinforce the one targeted by the true body.

At this proximity, there was more than enough time.

But in the next instant, after all illusions vanished, Ju Xuan's true body surged toward Xumi Palace's seventh-rank, Qiao Shen!

Qiao Shen showed slight panic but frantically reinforced his spatial barriers, layering his defenses.

Simultaneously, he pushed his Seven-Star Spirit Armor to its limit, starlight radiating wildly from his body.

At that same moment, the golden horn on Ju Xuan's forehead, pushed to its absolute limit, suddenly unleashed a golden lightning bolt of starlight, flashing toward another seventh-rank of Xumi Palace.

The full-force assault left the Xumi Palace seventh-rank scrambling to assist Qiao Shen, unable to react in time!

At the same instant, as Ju Xuan spat a torrent of blood, his Star Tower behind him suddenly detached one layer, hurtling like a meteor toward Qiao Shen!

On a certain star within the Star Dome, a corresponding layer of the Star Tower on that star vanished abruptly.

Ju Xuan had destroyed his own cultivation to launch this attack.

As for his own power, he devoted it entirely to defense.

One layer of the Star Tower contained at least one fully mastered celestial will—a cosmic resonance that unleashed terrifying starlight, obliterating Qiao Shen's layered defenses like dry grass before a wildfire.

Even Qiao Shen's Seven-Star Spirit Armor shattered in an instant.

Ultimate strike!

Qiao Shen, a seventh-rank beginner of Xumi Palace, was slain!

He instantly dissolved into starlight.

The Seven-Kill Token appeared.

At this moment, Ju Xuan's eyes blazed with brilliance; he poured out starlight recklessly, enduring all attacks, and shot like lightning to the spot where Qiao Shen had fallen, snatching up the newly appeared Seven-Kill Token.

In that same instant, focused fire from all directions rained down like a mad storm, shattering Ju Xuan's layered defenses and striking his Seven-Star Spirit Armor.

In mere moments, Ju Xuan's top-grade Seven-Star Spirit Armor shattered layer by layer under the combined assault of so many seventh- and sixth-ranks; blood gushed uncontrollably from his mouth.

But just as everyone thought Ju Xuan would be slain, he suddenly vanished into thin air!

Vanished from everyone's sight.

He was not killed!

When killed, a substitute starlight would appear.

As everyone hesitated in confusion, Xu Jin suddenly shouted, "It's the Seven-Kill Dragon Stake!"

In the next instant, Ju Xuan's figure appeared at the gate of the Seven-Kill Palace; the moment he materialized, just as everyone's gaze turned toward him, he seized the Seven-Kill Token and lunged straight into the shimmering, multicolored gate of the Seven-Kill Palace.

"Hahahaha! You'll all pay for this!"

Ju Xuan's laughter echoed from within the Seven-Kill Palace gate; outside, a large pool of his spilled blood remained.

Seeing this, everyone exchanged stunned glances.

At the same moment, a speck of starlight appeared.

It was Qiao Shen of Xumi Palace, who had just been slain, reappearing after using his substitute life opportunity.

Upon reappearing, Qiao Shen cried out, "Where is my Seven-Kill Token?!"

(End of Chapter)