Chapter 441: Strike While He

Seventh Kill Secret Realm, August 15.

Xu Jin, who had trained relentlessly for over a month in the Star-Picking Tower, slowly rose to his feet.

After consuming two Star Core gems and advancing the Seventh Kill Star Pattern's Break Evil technique from mid-seventh to high-eighth rank, Xu Jin continued his intense training within the branch Star-Picking Tower.

Today, his cultivation base in the Lower and Middle Star Palaces had both reached the peak of fifth-rank ninth layer.

With a bit more refinement, Xu Jin could begin constructing the Cloud-Erecting Tower and break through to sixth rank.

But time no longer permitted it.

The Seventh Kill Secret Realm's seventh trial had now lasted thirty-five days.

In fourteen days, the seventh trial of the Seventh Kill Secret Realm would end completely.

After careful calculation, Xu Jin decided it was time to act.

Ju Chu Xuan was no stationary target—if Xu Jin failed to kill him outright, and Ju Chu Xuan held on until the final day of the Seventh Kill Secret Realm's seventh trial, Xu Jin would end up with nothing.

At that point, both the Seventh Kill Secret Realm's legacy and the two Divine Dao truths Xu Jin coveted would slip through his fingers.

As he stepped forward, Xu Jin exited the branch Star-Picking Tower; with a single thought, the towering branch structure instantly materialized from the void and, under his command, began rapidly contracting.

"You didn't even say goodbye—you nearly trapped me inside!" came Star Spirit's disgruntled voice from within the Star Tower.

"Huh? You're still here?" Xu Jin was surprised.

"When did I say I was leaving?"

"Then you can leave now!"

"You—"

But Xu Jin paid no heed to Star Spirit; the branch Star-Picking Tower continued shrinking, and just before it severed its connection with the main Star-Picking Tower of Great Chen, the Mingji Star Pattern he had been continuously activating faintly sensed a peculiar, strange aura departing from the branch tower.

This indicated that Star Spirit indeed possessed a vessel of power.

Yet this vessel or its nature was currently too high in tier for Xu Jin to perceive.

The next instant, the branch Star-Picking Tower became a streak of starlight and vanished into Xu Jin's body.

At the same moment, Xu Jin leapt into the sky, his Thunder Wings emerging, instantly transforming into a streak of lightning as he shot toward the distance.

Almost the instant he began his flight, Xu Jin sensed a difference.

With his cultivation base having risen dramatically, his Thunder Flight speed had increased again—and by a significant margin.

When activating the Thunder Flight Star Art, five Star Patterns activate simultaneously.

Great Gathering Star Pattern, Thunder Source, Thunder Image, Thunder Flight, Thunder Wings.

As his Star Force cultivation increased, his speed naturally increased as well.

But there was also a hidden condition: Yuan Spirit cultivation!

All Star Force activation, all Star Arts performed, fundamentally relied on Divine Soul mental force.

And it was critically essential.

Yet during cultivation, this was a natural progression; most cultivators never even realized it.

But to Xu Jin, Yuan Spirit cultivation was the true core.

In Xu Jin's understanding, both Star Force cultivation and Star Patterns were merely hardware and energy sources.

Yet the most crucial element in this process was software.

Without software, no matter how powerful the hardware or energy, it could not function.

Since everyone's Divine Soul cultivation was innate, most assumed it was normal.

But that was not true.

Enhancing Divine Soul cultivation was essentially upgrading the software.

The stronger the Divine Soul cultivation, the greater the Star Force output and speed achievable with the same hardware.

This was why powerful Divine Soul cultivation naturally enhanced the potency of Star Arts.

At this moment, Xu Jin realized his speed had increased by thirty percent—this was the combined result of both cultivation base and Divine Soul cultivation improvements.

After flying only a few breaths, Xu Jin's expression became utterly confident.

With this speed, he had absolutely no problem escaping Ju Chu Xuan.

If Thunder Flight was already this fast, then Fivefold Flash would be even faster.

In an instant, Xu Jin was brimming with confidence.

Moreover, after advancing Break Evil to high-eighth rank, he had gained two powerful Divine Soul Star Arts: one called Mind Blade Burst.

An upgraded version of Break Evil, it struck the instant it was summoned, detonating upon contact and severely damaging the target's Yuan Spirit.

But due to its emphasis on speed, each Mind Blade required at most half a percent of his Divine Soul power to form.

The Divine Soul secret art gained from high-eighth rank Break Evil was called Soul-Shattering Hammer!

Compared to the Mind Blade Burst, Xu Jin preferred the Soul-Shattering Hammer!

The Soul-Shattering Hammer took time to form, but could concentrate up to thirty percent of his Divine Soul power into a hammer to strike the target.

Its power was immense.

But its cost was enormous!

With Xu Jin's current Divine Soul cultivation, he could only unleash three hammers.

Yet the Soul-Shattering Hammer had one advantage: it only dissipated upon striking the target.

If it missed, it did not vanish.

Meanwhile, its range extended only twice the direct line of the Yuan Spirit's Guang light.

High power, short range.

These two Divine Soul secret arts compensated for Xu Jin's weaknesses in Divine Soul cultivation.

Used well, they were devastating weapons.

Previously, he had retreated ten thousand li from the Seventh Kill Palace; returning now would take several hours.

But Xu Jin was not in a hurry; he flew steadily toward the Seventh Kill Palace at minimal energy cost.

Three hours later, Ju Chu Xuan, who had been secretly cultivating and recovering his injuries near the Seventh Kill Palace, suddenly opened his eyes and looked up.

"This kid—he's ready? So confident?"

Ju Chu Xuan, the eighth-rank Jinchu barbarian, had sensed Xu Jin's aura.

"Perfect—my injuries are nearly fully healed! If he wants to fight, I'll send him to his grave."

The next instant, Ju Chu Xuan rose into the air, heading straight toward Xu Jin's direction.

Over the past month, through relentless cultivation, Ju Chu Xuan had fully restored his physical injuries, and with the aid of the elixirs he carried, his Yuan Spirit wounds were mostly healed.

He had also done much reflection.

Although he had been slain before, it was due to the combined assault of Qi Tian Sheng and Song Song Shoujie, and he had been wounded by their sect's treasured artifact.

But Qi Tian Sheng's role had been crucial.

He had carefully reviewed the battle and devised a corresponding combat strategy.

Half a minute later, two streaks of starlight halted simultaneously in the void.

Upon seeing Xu Jin, Ju Chu Xuan frowned. "Your cultivation has risen fast indeed!"

"In just over a month, you've gone from fifth-rank fourth layer to fifth-rank ninth layer peak?"

"Kid, you don't actually think this is your confidence, do you?" Ju Chu Xuan observed Xu Jin closely as he spoke, studying his expression.

Xu Jin merely glanced at Ju Chu Xuan—and relaxed.

The two Earth and Space Divine Dao truths Ju Chu Xuan had acquired radiated brilliant starlight from within his robes.

Even from nearly a kilometer away, Xu Jin sensed them clearly.

"Why not? Your cultivation has declined, while mine is surging forward! One rises, one falls—that's my confidence." Xu Jin smiled.

Of course, there was one thing Xu Jin did not say.

His true confidence lay in the seventy-two peerless supreme Star Cores he had forged within his Lower and Middle Star Palaces—and the flawless primordial Star Body he had once established.

Xu Jin was certain his Star Force cultivation had already surpassed even the peak of sixth-rank ninth layer among prodigies.

It had certainly reached seventh rank.

But precisely how far into seventh rank, he could not yet estimate—he had not yet encountered seventh-rank cultivators.

He could only say his Star Force cultivation far exceeded that of any sixth-rank ninth layer prodigy. Whether now or in the future, any opponent who viewed him as an ordinary or even a prodigious fifth-rank ninth layer cultivator was making a fatal mistake!

"Makes sense!"

Ju Chu Xuan raised his thumb toward Xu Jin. "Between your rise and my fall, the gap has indeed narrowed significantly."

"But a gap is still a gap."

"It doesn't vanish just because it's smaller!"

"I am eighth rank; you are merely fifth-rank ninth layer peak!" Ju Chu Xuan spoke as he slowly shifted position, preparing for battle.

Today's fight—he would fight as if facing a lion, giving his all!

"Then let strength speak."

"Chen Guo Dao Academy, Qi Tian Sheng!" Xu Jin bowed to Ju Chu Xuan.

"To stand so calmly before me and challenge me so composedly—you're a true figure. You deserve my full attention."

"Jinchu Holy Clan, collateral line of the Holy Ancestor, Ju Chu Xuan!"

"Proceed!"

"Proceed!"

BOOM!

The moment the words ended, Xu Jin unleashed his Five Elemental Divine Thunder without hesitation.

Ju Chu Xuan had previously witnessed Xu Jin's Five Elements Divine Thunder and anticipated that Xu Jin would surely use it against him; the moment Xu Jin moved, Ju Chu Xuan instantly shifted position.

A flash of golden light—before the Five Elements Divine Thunder could strike—he vanished from his original spot.

The Five Elements Divine Thunder missed.

In that same instant, the golden unicorn's inner white radiance blazed to its peak; the White Tiger's phantom surged forth, solidifying instantly, and lunged to swallow Xu Jin whole.

Only when Xu Jin directly confronted the White Tiger phantom did he realize its terrifying power.

What bit down was not flesh or bone, but endless, razor-sharp Metal Star Force—each strike capable of piercing metal and shattering stone!

Even before the bite made contact, Xu Jin's Fish Curtain Golden Bell already rippled under the pressure.

A full-power strike from an eighth-rank was indeed formidable.

Yet Xu Jin stood his ground, watching the charging White Tiger phantom, and unleashed a Five Elements Divine Thunder straight into its face.

Wu!

The White Tiger phantom let out a piercing wail; in an instant, eighty percent of its form was obliterated by the thunder.

Just as Xu Jin prepared to finish it off, Ju Chu Xuan unleashed his second major assault.

From all directions, countless golden lights spun like a hurricane, barraging Xu Jin with relentless fury.

Ju Chu Xuan's Star Tower connected to a dozen faintly visible stars in the void; in the instant massive starlight poured down, it erupted from the tower's base as a Gengjin Storm, slamming into Xu Jin.

Xu Jin's expression changed sharply.

If he were caught in the core of this Gengjin Storm, no matter how skilled he was, death was certain.

He instantly willed himself to activate the Seven Kill Dragon Stake to escape!

"Think you can run? Not a chance!"

As Ju Chu Xuan laughed, he surged forward; the instant a tiny Nascent Soul appeared behind his head, a torrent of Spiritual Soul power exploded outward, shaking the surrounding space so violently that Xu Jin, mid-casting Seven Kill Dragon Stake, suddenly lost all sense of the other stake positions.

Seven Kill Dragon Stake—broken!

The Gengjin Storm swept over Xu Jin like a tidal wave; the White Tiger phantom, barely shattered moments before, was instantly replenished, strengthened, and lunged again.

Xu Jin was now on the brink of annihilation.

Ju Chu Xuan had unleashed his full strength.

And Xu Jin, for the first time, faced alone an eighth-rank expert—and finally felt the terrifying might of an eighth-rank's Star Art!

He was strong, but against an eighth-rank, he had to give everything; one misstep, and he might perish.

The next instant, Xu Jin's body sank, landing like a falling meteor; the Gengjin Storm and White Tiger phantom followed close behind, striking him without pause.

The moment he touched ground, the Earth Root activated—and Xu Jin's Five Elements Divine Thunder shot upward in reverse!

Attack as defense!

Multicolored lightning roared from his palm with furious speed.

Blazingly fast.

One strike after another!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three consecutive strikes not only annihilated the eye of Ju Chu Xuan's Gengjin Storm but also struck the recharging White Tiger phantom.

This time, the White Tiger phantom was utterly shattered.

With a mournful cry, it dissolved into a streak of white light and retreated back into Ju Chu Xuan's golden unicorn.

Ju Chu Xuan's expression turned sharply astonished.

This lightning was far stronger than he'd imagined.

The next instant, the Five Elements Divine Thunder struck Ju Chu Xuan again.

Ju Chu Xuan didn't want to take it head-on—he instinctively tried to dodge.

But at that same moment, Xu Jin stomped his foot lightly!

Earth Magnetic Force!

And not just any—this was Earth Core Magnetism infused with five layers of Heavenly Earth Resonance.

Instantly, Ju Chu Xuan's body grew impossibly heavy, as if mountains had crashed onto his feet—his previously uncanny agility slowed to a crawl.

Boom!

The Five Elements Divine Thunder struck down instantly.

It shattered Ju Chu Xuan's protective starlight outright.

But just as Xu Jin thought he'd landed a crippling blow, golden armor etched with mysterious runes suddenly appeared across Ju Chu Xuan's body.

This was Ju Chu Xuan's bloodline technique.

A life-saving treasure born of his flesh.

Only those with the Sacred Ancestor's bloodline in the Jin Zhu Holy Clan could manifest such bloodline golden armor.

As the lightning poured over him, the bloodline armor rippled and held firm against the residual force.

Instantly, Ju Chu Xuan reestablished his protective starlight.

Boom!

The Five Elements Divine Thunder struck again.

The starlight shattered once more; the residual force slammed into the bloodline armor—but still inflicted little damage, and the starlight rose again.

"So this is your ultimate move?" Ju Chu Xuan sneered, enduring Xu Jin's relentless thunder while forcing his golden Dujiao to unleash wave after wave of Sen white Gengjin starlight, each like a blade slicing toward Xu Jin.

Only two strikes shattered Xu Jin's Fish Curtain Golden Bell.

Xu Jin had no choice but to layer on Heavenly Gang Thunder Chains and Thunder Wings for defense.

But this distraction made Ju Chu Xuan's assault even fiercer.

Seeing this, Xu Jin sighed inwardly in resignation.

It seemed his own strength alone couldn't fully kill Ju Chu Xuan.

He'd have to use the Nine Heaven Thunder Resonance he'd stored.

The next instant, Xu Jin focused his mind and infused fifty layers of Nine Heaven Thunder Resonance into his next Five Elements Divine Thunder.

Instantly, the multicolored Five Elements Divine Thunder swelled more than double its size, blazing with blinding radiance.

Simultaneously, Ju Chu Xuan's face turned pale with horror.

Again, this technique!

That Qitian Saint—how did he still have a secret clan killing move?!

Without hesitation, Ju Chu Xuan poured his spiritual will into activating the Seven Kill Dragon Stake to flee and evade this strike.

His body was too heavy to dodge—only the Seven Kill Dragon Stake could save him now.

At that exact moment, a cold smirk appeared on Xu Jin's lips.

His great hammer had been starving for this moment, waiting patiently.

All this was to kill Ju Chu Xuan right here, right now.

Ju Chu Xuan had a way to counter the Seven Kill Dragon Stake—so did Xu Jin.

The next instant, the Soul-Shattering Hammer, long forged and ready, slammed into Ju Chu Xuan's skull.

Ding!

Ju Chu Xuan reeled as if struck by an iron mallet on the back of the head—blood gushed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

The Nascent Soul hovering behind his head cracked violently under the blow and was forced back into his body.

Naturally, Ju Chu Xuan's Seven Kill Dragon Stake technique was interrupted.

Boom!

The Five Elements Divine Thunder, infused with fifty layers of Nine Heaven Thunder Resonance, crashed down upon Ju Chu Xuan's head.

First, his protective starlight shattered; then, the bloodline armor clashed violently with the thunder, piece by piece crumbling to ash—yet the thunder's power was also rapidly depleted.

Ju Chu Xuan's body trembled with wild lightning; he screamed in agony, but his Nascent Soul was wounded and stunned, unable to react.

Strike while he's down!

Second! Third! Fifth!

Within half a breath, Xu Jin unleashed ten consecutive Five Elements Divine Thunder strikes.

Each one struck Ju Chu Xuan's body without obstruction.

Each strike turned a portion of Ju Chu Xuan's flesh to charcoal—only the golden unicorn remained intact.

Suddenly, Ju Chu Xuan's body completely disintegrated into ash; his Nascent Soul, covered in cracks and filled with terror, barely emerged—trying to flee into the golden unicorn.

Xu Jin had already suffered once from that golden unicorn.

Instantly, he willed the Five Elements Divine Thunder to strike.

He struck the Nascent Soul before it could slip into the golden unicorn.

Ziiii!

In the lightning, Ju Chu Xuan's Nascent Soul turned to a wisp of blue smoke—and vanished utterly.

Amid the thunder, only the golden unicorn and two Divine Dao True Meanings remained.

At that same moment, a mark of a Nirmāṇakāya space slowly surfaced.

(End of Chapter)