Chapter 429: Cold Ice Divine Light

Hou Ziang certainly had a chance to use a substitute death and rebirth.

So Xu Jin needed to wait!

If he could completely annihilate the seventh-rank Hou Ziang here, it would spare Xu Jin countless troubles.

Once Hou Ziang died, who would know this Thunder Dao True Intent had fallen into Xu Jin's hands?

But if Hou Ziang lived and carried this news back, the Master of the Wood Spirit Palace would surely scour heaven and earth for Xu Jin, leaving no stone unturned to kill him and seize the Dao True Intent.

A top-tier eighth-rank peak expert, who could break through to ninth rank at any moment—Xu Jin must remain extremely cautious.

The Yellow Dragon Sword shimmered with light, and above his head, a five-colored thunderlight, like a star, had already appeared.

In less than half a breath, a cluster of starlight emerged from high above.

After using the substitute death opportunity, Hou Ziang reappeared.

He reappeared in the exact same spot.

In that instant, Hou Ziang unleashed his spiritual sense and instantly located Xu Jin's position.

Almost simultaneously, thunderous roars crashed down upon Hou Ziang's head.

The Five Element Divine Thunder struck, directly blasting the newly reappeared Hou Ziang from the sky.

It also shattered all of Hou Ziang's seventh-rank initial cultivation protective starlight and Thunder Shield, fully destroyed.

Beneath the terrifying Five Element Divine Thunder, Hou Ziang was blasted straight from the horizon, his body charred black.

But it was only a knockdown—not instant death.

In the next instant, before the sonic barrier sounded again, where the golden light passed, the seventh-rank initial Hou Ziang disintegrated into countless specks of starlight.

Second kill!

Xu Jin's gaze flickered; the power of the Five Element Divine Thunder was indeed formidable.

A single strike could severely wound a seventh-rank initial Hou Ziang without the Seven-Star Spirit Armor—though not instant death, it was already powerful.

No wonder it was a high-rank special star art granted by the eighth-rank Lei Yuanxing rune.

Of course, the role of the eighth-rank Lei Xiangxing rune was also indispensable.

Xu Jin estimated that once his cultivation advanced two or three more levels, his Five Element Divine Thunder would gain the ability to instantly kill Hou Ziang with one strike.

And Hou Ziang was among the elite seventh-rank warriors of this world, far stronger than ordinary seventh-rank elites.

After the second kill, Xu Jin remained in place, poised and ready to strike again!

The Yellow Dragon Sword glowed faintly; the Five Element Divine Thunder had already formed, ready to strike at any moment.

As long as Hou Ziang reappeared, Xu Jin had a hundred percent chance of killing him.

Even worse, because he was guarding the corpse, he couldn't even activate his life-saving Spatial Rune Tablet.

The shattered starlight reassembled, countless specks of starlight reappearing before the Wood Spirit Palace disciple Hou Ziang.

After substitute death—continue or retreat?

After his first death, Hou Ziang had unhesitatingly chosen to continue.

Because he had two substitute death chances.

But he hadn't expected the second death to come faster and more directly than the first.

Then what about this second time?

Should he continue?

In an instant, Hou Ziang's heart felt as if gripped by invisible hands, as if he could no longer breathe.

Suffocation!

The suffocating terror of death!

In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through Hou Ziang's mind.

If he chose to continue, could he reclaim this Dao True Intent?

Or, could he even survive?

In a flash of thought, Hou Ziang reached his conclusion: No.

Moreover, he had already been severely wounded by the terrifying Five Element Divine Thunder.

Even if he revived again, the wounds remained, and his condition was worse than after his first death.

The Seven-Star Spirit Armor was shattered!

In normal circumstances, he would die.

To survive, he must use a life-saving treasure and strike first.

But did he have the chance?

His life-saving treasures—whether the Spatial Teleportation Rune Tablet or the killing artifact bestowed by his Master capable of injuring a seventh-rank—could be used.

But did he have the chance to use them?

In the blink of an eye, Hou Ziang recalled the process of his second death at Xu Jin's hands.

It seemed he hadn't even had the opportunity to activate his life-saving artifact.

He had barely reappeared when he was instantly struck down, the thunderlight paralyzing his entire body and robbing him of mobility.

In fact, even if he had retained mobility, it would have been too late.

That man's chain kills were too fast!

In an instant, Hou Ziang hesitated between his Master's scolding and disappointment, and his own death.

If he chose to return immediately, his Master would be deeply disappointed, perhaps even rebuke him as a coward.

But if he chose to continue—he would die!

Dead, and everything was lost.

While hesitating, starlight flickered before Hou Ziang's eyes, revealing a message.

【Time limit exceeded. You will be forcibly expelled from the Seven Kill Secret Realm. You are eliminated.】

Seeing this starlight message appear before him, Hou Ziang finally exhaled in relief.

No more agonizing.

Someone had made the choice for him.

In fact, this was his own choice.

Inside the Seven Kill Secret Realm, Xu Jin waited three breaths in place—Hou Ziang's figure never reappeared.

This surprised Xu Jin.

The Wood Spirit Palace Master's disciple was weak—far inferior to the disciple of the Sumeru Palace Master.

Couldn't even muster the courage to fight.

Just retreated immediately.

Xu Jin himself felt a pang of regret—he had been too hasty.

Too eager to seize other Dao True Intents, he had gone too hard on Hou Ziang.

So hard that Hou Ziang himself felt no chance remained, and thus refused to use his second substitute death rebirth.

If he had appeared weaker, given the man a glimmer of hope, perhaps he could have lured him into a trap.

But now, it was too late.

Yet similar tactics could be employed later.

Of course, from Xu Jin's perspective, the Sumeru Palace Master's psychological manipulation of his disciple was powerful indeed.

The Wood Spirit Palace Master's approach, by contrast, was lacking.

But for their disciples, it might not be a bad thing!

Yet for Xu Jin, it was slightly unfortunate.

It seemed his acquisition of the Thunder Dao True Intent could no longer be hidden!

But Xu Jin wasn't afraid.

He now possessed the strength to deal with seventh-rank elites like Hou Ziang.

Once his power advanced further, he could still survive against eighth-rank opponents.

If the Thunder Dao True Intent could further enhance his Thunder Star Arts, that would be even better.

In the next instant, Xu Jin leapt into the stars, activating the Law Star on the Can Dou Platform, and surged toward the nearest Dao True Intent.

Xu Jin's second most desired Dao True Intent was Earth, but the Earth Dao True Intent was farther away; at this moment, the closest was the Fire Dao True Intent.

Not bad.

Acquiring the Fire Dao True Intent would be excellent, whether for personal use or for the Grand State Master.

With Thunder Wings flaring, streaks of lightning flashing, Xu Jin surged toward the direction of the Fire Dao True Intent.

Not far—about fifteen minutes' flight brought him there.

From afar, Xu Jin saw starlight shimmering, star energy blazing like fireworks.

Someone was in fierce combat.

It seemed others had arrived first—yet no one knew if anyone had claimed the Fire Dao True Intent.

Two breaths later, Xu Jin's gaze sharply sharpened.

The battlefield showed no trace of the Seven Kill True Lord's illusionary form.

Song Shoujie of the Luo Water Marquisate and Master Dong Zhao were locked in battle with Zhang Lin of the Heavenly Sun Star Temple—and to Xu Jin's surprise, Zhang Lin held overwhelming advantage.

Song Shoujie and Master Dong Zhao weren't merely being overwhelmed; both bore severe injuries.

Dong Zhao's aura fluctuated wildly; Song Shoujie's body was charred black, his breath shallow, and he had lost an arm—he had just reconnected it with star energy. If he used a mid-grade Star Healing technique, the arm could be fully restored.

If he delayed too long, he would become permanently disabled.

Logically, Principal Dong Zhao himself possesses the combat power to challenge a seventh-rank opponent, and Marquis Song Shoujie of Luoshui is no slouch either; even if slightly weaker than Zhang Lin, he shouldn't be killed in such a manner.

At this moment, Marquis Song Shoujie of Luoshui was frozen solid upon the ground, and Dong Zhao was hardly better off.

In no time, Zhang Lin will be able to slay both of them!

Almost simultaneously, all three spotted Xu Jin's arrival.

Dong Zhao's eyes lit up with relief.

Marquis Song Shoujie of Luoshui first smiled, then let out a faint bitter chuckle—it won't help much!

Zhang Lin, seeing Xu Jin, burst into loud laughter. "Perfect! Let's kill you all together!"

At the same instant, the star tower above Zhang Lin emitted boundless cold light, as if endless spears of ice rained down upon Song Shoujie and Dong Zhao.

Even if intercepted, the ice spears shattered into frost, instantly expanding Zhang Lin's ice domain.

The larger Zhang Lin's ice domain, the stronger his combat power.

Within the Heavenly Sun Star Hall, Zhang Lin was one of those who grew stronger the longer the battle lasted.

The longer the fight dragged on, the more advantageous it became for him!

Song Shoujie's injuries were far worse than Xu Jin had imagined—he had only taken two spears, yet blood gushed from his mouth. Dong Zhao was in dire straits, as ceaseless frost winds assaulted him from all sides, worsening his condition by the second.

This bizarre scene made Xu Jin hesitate to act rashly.

The fact that Zhang Lin had nearly killed both Song Shoujie and Dong Zhao together meant he possessed an overwhelming killing technique.

If Xu Jin charged in blindly, he might fall into Zhang Lin's trap.

In the next instant, Xu Jin's Thunder Wings flared as he moved at high speed, unleashing wave after wave of Bing Fire Divine Thunder toward Zhang Lin.

Instantly, the pressure on Song Shoujie and Dong Zhao plummeted!

Even the Heavenly Sun Star Hall's top genius had to tread carefully against Xu Jin's Bing Fire Divine Thunder.

At the same time, Xu Jin quickly exchanged words with Principal Dong Zhao—they needed to probe Zhang Lin's true strength first.

"Marquis Song specializes in wind arts and moves with incredible speed. He located the Seventh Kill True Person's illusion first and struck immediately, using a reckless, injury-for-injury tactic to save time."

Within the shortest possible time, he paid a heavy price to destroy the illusion—but just as he did, Zhang Lin arrived."

Zhang Lin seized the opportunity to severely wound the already injured Marquis Song."

I arrived just in time; originally, with Marquis Song's help, we could have suppressed him."

But this bastard threw out a Ten-Thousand Refinements Cold Star Pearl, once again crippling both me and Marquis Song."

I strongly suspect this Ten-Thousand Refinements Cold Star Pearl carries the blessing of the Heavenly Sun Star Lord."

Be careful."

The Ten-Thousand Refinements Cold Star Pearl is a special ice star technique.

It is forged over years of accumulation, condensing ice power into storage within a Nirmāna space, to be used as a last-resort life-saving measure.

Only ice power and thunder power can be stored this way.

It takes an extremely long time.

And there is a limit.

The upper limit for a seventh-rank beginner's creation is seventh-rank.

In essence, it is a one-time-use star core.

Extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive.

When unleashed, it delivers a full-power strike equivalent to a seventh-rank beginner.

Normally, it could not simultaneously cripple both Marquis Song and Dong Zhao.

That's why Dong Zhao suspected the Heavenly Sun Star Lord's blessing.

Almost simultaneously, Marquis Song Shoujie's voice echoed directly into Xu Jin's mind.

【Qitian Sheng, I observe your speed is exceptional. Immediately take the Fire Divine Dao Essence from Dong Zhao's hands. Myself and Dong Zhao will hold Zhang Lin off for you at full strength."

As you flee, preliminarily wrap and refine the Fire Divine Dao Essence, seal it within your Nirmāna space, then self-destruct and return it to the Grand Master at once!"

Both Dong Zhao and I have death-replacement chances—don't worry about us."】

At the very moment the voice entered his mind, Dong Zhao stared at Marquis Song Shoujie in utter shock—clearly, Song Shoujie had issued the same order to Dong Zhao.

Xu Jin was taken aback.

His perception of Song Shoujie shifted slightly.

This man's grasp of the bigger picture had changed—he was unexpectedly admirable.

His sole focus: deliver the Fire Divine Dao Essence to the Grand Master!

Honestly, this plan had extremely high success potential.

There was a strong chance the Fire Divine Dao Essence could be delivered.

But Xu Jin was puzzled—was preliminary wrapping and refining the Divine Dao Essence really that difficult?

He himself had only spent a few breaths.

Suddenly, Xu Jin realized.

The Divine Dao Essence must be tied to the Lei Yuanxing Pattern and Lei Xiangxing Pattern.

His own Lei Yuanxing and Lei Xiangxing Patterns were both eighth-rank upper—top-tier.

Naturally, fast.

Did Dong Zhao's Fire Source Pattern even reach seventh-rank lower?

Naturally, slow.

Xu Jin gave no reply, but upon hearing Song Shoujie's order, Dong Zhao had already decided to act.

Because Song Shoujie's plan was the safest.

Over ninety percent probability of delivering the Fire Divine Dao Essence to the Grand Master.

Then their mission would be accomplished.

Thus, the moment he heard Song Shoujie's command, Dong Zhao braved Zhang Lin's frost attacks and flew toward Xu Jin.

The severely wounded Song Shoujie also began expending all his strength to restrain Zhang Lin!

Zhang Lin was no fool—he needed only one glance to deduce Dong Zhao and Song Shoujie's strategy.

He sneered, gestured, and a terrifying ice giant erupted from the frozen ground, slamming down upon Song Shoujie.

Dozens of ice-star lights also surged from the ice domain, instantly lunging at Dong Zhao.

Dong Zhao dodged left and right, striking frantically, yet still three ice-star lights struck him, dragging him back to the ground and trapping him once more within the ice domain.

At the same instant, waves of ice divine light, like lightning, slammed toward Xu Jin.

Zhang Lin had unleashed his full power.

Xu Jin's Five Elemental Thunder Light was already primed to strike, his mind already fixed on the Yellow Dragon Sword.

But at the moment of release, he changed his mind.

First, Marquis Song Shoujie was here—he dared not easily draw the Yellow Dragon Sword.

Second, if he killed Zhang Lin now, would Zhang Lin, upon resurrection, rejoin the battle?

Almost certainly not.

After all, if he resurrected and returned, he'd face three against one.

His chance of victory would be extremely low.

He wasn't stupid—he wouldn't likely throw his life away.

But Xu Jin desperately did not want Zhang Lin to survive and return.

He especially did not want to be haunted—or worse, ambushed—by the boundless Heavenly Sun Star Lord in the future!

Suddenly, Xu Jin had an idea—he would carry out Marquis Song Shoujie's plan.

In the next instant, Xu Jin used the Fish Curtain Golden Bell to endure Zhang Lin's ice divine light and rushed to Dong Zhao's side.

Without hesitation, Dong Zhao handed Xu Jin the Fire Divine Dao Essence, bound by star power.

"Go quickly—we'll hold him off!"

Xu Jin, clutching the Fire Divine Dao Essence, flared his Thunder Wings and instantly transformed into a streak of lightning.

Zhang Lin panicked.

As he charged after Xu Jin, he unleashed a storm of ice divine light.

Xu Jin could have vanished in an instant, evading the ice divine light.

But in a split second, he deliberately slowed—letting one blast strike him full force. He staggered, still flying forward, but the ice divine light clung to his body like a parasite, spreading rapidly, impossible to dispel in the short term, slowing his speed!

Dong Zhao and Song Shoujie were horrified.

They unleashed all their strength to intercept Zhang Lin.

But both were trapped by the ice domain beneath them. Zhang Lin soared upward, and the entire frozen ground instantly solidified into two colossal ice giants, pinning them down.

Zhang Lin had just unleashed all the accumulated ice domain energy he had gathered during battle—trapping them both, then charging after Xu Jin with full force.

Xu Jin, enduring the erosion of the ice divine light, watched Zhang Lin closing in—and sneered.

I feared you wouldn't chase!

(End of Chapter)