Chapter 442: Harvest and Kneeling to Speak

Seeing Ju Chu Xuan's Nascent Soul blasted into nothingness, Xu Jin finally exhaled in relief.

The process of killing Ju Chu Xuan was harder and more perilous than Xu Jin had imagined—life and death hung by a thread.

Although the Nine Heaven Thunder Rhythms consumed were considerable, they remained within Xu Jin's estimated range.

His spiritual sense surged out, beginning to draw forth Ju Chu Xuan's Vast Space.

In the same instant, Xu Jin immediately reeled back the golden horn left by Ju Chu Xuan, wrapped in Lei Guang, bringing it before his eyes, his gaze filled with astonishment.

Ju Chu Xuan's golden horn was powerful—this was within Xu Jin's expectations.

The hallmark of the Eight Wilderness barbarian races was a single superlative body part; the higher and more ancient the bloodline, the stronger and more extraordinary this part became.

For the Jin Zhu barbarians, it was naturally this golden horn.

But Xu Jin had not anticipated that, even after being struck by fifty strokes of Five Element Divine Thunder infused with Nine Heaven Thunder Rhythms, the horn remained utterly unscathed.

Previously, both Ju Chu Xuan's sacred ancestral golden scale shield and his own bloodline golden armor had been reduced to ash by the Five Element Divine Thunder.

Only this thing remained intact.

At this thought, Xu Jin's heart gave an unexpected pang.

He felt a deep ache.

Thinking of Ju Chu Xuan's body, now reduced to ash, Xu Jin was filled with unbearable regret.

The bloodline golden armor of an eighth-rank Jin Zhu barbarian—if even a few scales could be peeled off and slightly refined—would grant defense equal to a Seven-Star Supreme Spirit Artifact, perhaps even stronger.

And the star cores!

All gone.

Ju Chu Xuan, a mid-to-lower star palace cultivator, must have carried at least twenty star cores.

Eighth-rank ones, at that.

All turned to ash.

If even one or two had been preserved, they could have been enshrined on the Can Dou Altar and used as a decisive weapon in critical moments.

But then again, had Xu Jin held back even slightly at the time to secure more spoils, the outcome might have been uncertain.

Yet, since this golden horn remained unharmed even under the assault of Five Element Divine Thunder infused with Nine Heaven Thunder Rhythms, its hardness—if forged into a flying sword—was unimaginable.

But no one capable of forging it likely existed—at least, Xu Jin could not find one.

Roar!

The moment Xu Jin's spiritual sense entered, a tiny white tiger phantom roared at him—completely lacking the terrifying aura Ju Chu Xuan had unleashed.

The roar was fierce, yet oddly cute.

It even looked a little adorable.

Nothing like the White Tiger Spirit God Xu Jin had encountered before.

But Xu Jin understood the reason.

This White Tiger Spirit God had lost its source of power.

Xu Jin tried injecting a bit of star force—useless.

He tried a tiny bit of metal star force—the form swelled slightly, its aura changed, but it was still fiercely cute.

Nothing like how Ju Chu Xuan had used it.

Xu Jin carefully recalled the aura emitted by the White Tiger Spirit God during their earlier battle—beyond metal force, there had also been spiritual soul force.

The next instant, Xu Jin attempted to inject a portion of spiritual soul force along with metal star force.

Roar!

Instantly, the fiercely cute little white tiger swelled massively, becoming the size and form of the original White Tiger Spirit God.

But it still differed slightly from how Ju Chu Xuan had used it.

More precisely, it was still a bit weaker.

If it could reach Ju Chu Xuan's level, it would be an excellent ally.

Xu Jin suspected it was due to his own lower cultivation base.

After all, his cultivation was still far behind Ju Chu Xuan's.

Perhaps because Ju Chu Xuan was dead, Xu Jin easily imprinted a spiritual soul mark within both the golden horn and the White Tiger Spirit God.

After imprinting the spiritual soul mark, Xu Jin realized he could summon the little white tiger at will.

With a thought, the little white tiger curled up on Xu Jin's shoulder like a purring kitten—adorable.

After petting it a few times, Xu Jin sent it back into the golden horn and then stored it within his Vast Space.

Since he still didn't know what it truly was, better not to flaunt it.

Next, he retrieved two Divine Dao True Intentions.

Especially the earth Divine Dao True Intention he had long desired—finally in his hands.

Within twenty breaths, Xu Jin preliminarily refined this earth Divine Dao True Intention and stored it in his Vast Space.

Now it depended on the Imperial Tutor's luck—if he fails to breakthrough, this earth Divine Dao True Intention will be given to him first to aid his breakthrough.

Facing the space Divine Dao True Intention, Xu Jin was stumped.

He had obtained it, yet could not preliminarily refine it or store it in his Vast Space.

For now, he could only keep it on his person.

Even wrapped in layers, this thing radiated an immense aura, like a beacon in the dark.

If he couldn't preliminarily refine it and return it to his Vast Space, it would be a disaster magnet.

If Xu Jin carried it back into the mortal world and moved too slowly, he'd be besieged by eighth-ranks.

Even the Imperial Tutor's arrival to assist might bring great trouble.

In an instant, Xu Jin thought of Qiao Shen, the Vast Palace disciple he had slain but captured the Nascent Soul of.

Could he obtain the space-source star pattern from this fellow?

As starlight shimmered, Ju Chu Xuan's Vast Space had been successfully drawn forth by Xu Jin.

Xu Jin's spiritual sense eagerly probed inside.

His spiritual sense swept through—no aura of eighth-rank treasures. Xu Jin was not surprised.

If there were still eighth-rank treasures left for Xu Jin, it would be a miracle.

Ju Chu Xuan was truly foolish.

Counting the three resurrection chances and the one time Xu Jin killed him, Ju Chu Xuan had died four times.

If he still kept any treasures unused, he'd be a miser.

The kind who valued gold over life.

Xu Jin had expected seventh-rank spirit armor, eighth-rank survival artifacts—none were present.

But the next instant, his eyes lit up.

No wonder—he was an eighth-rank from the Jin Zhu Sacred Clan, a collateral branch of the Sacred Ancestor.

Pure Pearls.

Nine seventh-rank Pure Pearls.

More than the total Xu Jin had gathered from all other barbarians before.

Thirty-five sixth-rank Pure Pearls.

This was the most surprising bounty.

Twenty-one seventh-rank Star Jade Tablets.

Over five hundred sixth-rank Star Jade Tablets, and over three thousand fifth-rank Star Jade Tablets.

Xu Jin transferred all of them into his own Vast Space.

This haul alone recovered all costs from activating the Pick Star Tower—and turned a profit.

It was like killing someone and walking off with a golden belt.

After searching thoroughly, Xu Jin found not a single fifth- or sixth-rank spiritual soul herb he had hoped for.

But that was normal—Ju Chu Xuan's spiritual soul wounds had never fully healed before death.

If such herbs had been present, he would have consumed them long ago.

Yet, within Ju Chu Xuan's Vast Space, Xu Jin discovered a pile of seemingly worthless debris.

Scales, fangs, tail hooks, feathers.

Though they looked like trash, even the worst item radiated sixth-rank star force.

Some even radiated seventh-rank star force.

These were likely items Ju Chu Xuan collected during his growth—trash to him, but many were treasures to Xu Jin.

Selling them would certainly make them treasures.

Even the worst were raw materials for crafting sixth-rank star artifacts.

Each one, if auctioned at Changsheng Auction House, would start at ten thousand strands of starlight.

These hundred-plus items made Xu Jin another fortune.

In addition, there was a uniquely styled golden token.

Similar to the Sacred Ancestor Golden Token Xu Jin had seen before, but clearly more advanced.

Probably used by the Jin Zhu barbarians for emergency communication—Xu Jin casually tossed it back into his Vast Space, unsure if he'd ever use it.

Overall, Ju Chu Xuan's spoils fell short of Xu Jin's expectations—but still worth far more than expected.

Especially the golden horn and the fiercely cute White Tiger Spirit God—priceless treasures.

Having gathered all this, Xu Jin began to ponder.

There are still fourteen days until the seventh trial of the Seven Kill Secret Realm ends.

Xu Jin has already fulfilled one of the two conditions to become a true disciple of the Seven Kill True Person.

The remaining condition is to withstand the illusionary attack of the Seven Kill True Person at the age of forty for ten breaths.

Thirty-five days ago, before Xu Jin's strength had improved, he endured five breaths.

And he did not use any special powers or the Seven Stars Spirit Armor.

Now, Xu Jin's strength has doubled; if he uses the Seven Stars Spirit Armor and activates his special powers—especially the Earth and Heaven's Resonance—he believes enduring ten breaths should be easy!

The real difficulty lies in Xu Jin's other idea.

Since the Star Spirit—or rather, the Ultimate Emperor—once said that defeating the Seven Kill True Person's illusion might yield unexpected rewards,

then he must try.

Xu Jin had previously fought the Seven Kill True Person's illusion; his strength surpassed Ju Chu Xuan's, and the only advantage was that he wouldn't use any life-saving treasures.

But even so, it was impossible for Xu Jin to defeat it with his own power alone.

To defeat it, he could only rely on the enhancement of special powers.

Such as the Nine Heavens Thunder Resonance, or the Earth and Heaven's Resonance, and so on.

Thus, Xu Jin formulated a preliminary plan.

He would confront the Seven Kill True Person's illusion at the age of forty on the final day of the Seven Kill Secret Realm.

He would accumulate these special powers to their utmost limit.

This was not only preparation for defeating the Seven Kill True Person's illusion, but also for securing his own future safety.

Xu Jin currently did not know where he would appear after the Seven Kill Secret Realm ended.

Most likely, he would reappear at the star gate he had entered—the one deep within Daqing Mountain.

At that time, the State Tutor would naturally come to meet him.

But Xu Jin knew his own situation best.

The current situation was extremely serious.

In the mortal world, there were six top-tier Gao Jie; within the Seven Kill Secret Realm, there were five Divine Dao truths. It was known that Zhen E Star Lord had taken one, and State Tutor Cheng Cheng Yuexiao had taken one.

Then Xu Jin had taken three.

This left four top-tier Gao Jie with zero gains.

If these four top-tier Gao Jie discovered Xu Jin was fleeing with the Spatial Divine Dao truth, would they join forces to ambush him?

Almost certainly.

It could even spark a massive battle among the mortal world's top Qiangzhe.

Therefore, Xu Jin must accumulate special powers not only to prepare for defeating the illusion, but also to secure his means of survival.

As for now, Xu Jin would use the remaining fourteen days to resolve another extremely critical issue.

That was the containment of the Spatial Divine Dao truth.

If he could not return this to his Numinous Space, and carried it back to the mortal world, he would become a beacon like the Night Sea Lighthouse—impossible to avoid igniting a world war!

Now, it all depended on whether the Fifth Young Master Qiao Shen of the Numinous Palace could yield what Xu Jin desired.

In the next instant, Xu Jin's mind stirred, and he directly extracted Qiao Shen's spiritual essence from the Numinous Space, holding it in his palm.

After being sealed and dazed in the Numinous Space for so many days, Qiao Shen suddenly saw daylight again, feeling as if reborn.

When he saw Xu Jin, his spiritual essence's tiny face twisted with uncontrollable fear!

He understood: his end might be near.

Life?

Or death?

Would this Qi Tian Sheng grant him a chance to live?

At this thought, Qiao Shen's spiritual essence trembled like a sieve.

Since extracting Qiao Shen's spiritual essence, Xu Jin had remained silent, instead activating the Mingji Star Pattern to quietly sense the fluctuations in Qiao Shen's spiritual essence.

Within fifteen minutes, Xu Jin sensed anxiety, fear, anticipation, pain, and countless other complex emotions.

But overall, fear dominated.

Fear was good!

As long as he feared death, this matter would be manageable.

Of course, that was normal.

Even ants cling to life!

How much more so a pampered young master?

In fact, not only pampered young masters—most people in this world feared death!

Those who did not fear death were true heroes, true paragons!

But how many such heroes and paragons were there?

In the next instant, under Qiao Shen's terrified gaze, Xu Jin removed the heavy seals binding his spiritual essence.

Before Xu Jin could speak, Qiao Shen blurted out, "Brother Qi, Young Master Qi, how can you give me a way to live! If you grant me a chance to live, everything in my Numinous Space is yours!"

The past two months sealed in the Numinous Space were the longest, darkest two months of Qiao Shen's decades-long life.

A time of neither living nor dying!

Countless times, Qiao Shen had considered suicide.

But there, he could not even kill himself.

There, he could not even sense the passage of time.

It was terrifying!

He would rather die than return to that place!

Now that he had been pulled out and saw daylight again, he instantly felt: living was truly wonderful!

To survive!

He must survive!

Xu Jin was somewhat surprised.

He had already prepared several methods to utterly shatter Qiao Shen's will, planning to implement them one by one over the next half-month.

But he never expected Qiao Shen to kneel outright.

And kneel so completely.

"Young Master Qiao, that's nonsense! If I kill you, I'll still get everything in your Numinous Space!"

Since Qiao Shen had already surrendered, Xu Jin was no longer in a hurry.

Qiao Shen fell silent—he was right.

But he truly wanted to live!

"Then what do you need me to do to give me a chance to live?" Qiao Shen asked quietly—he was clever.

"Young Master Qiao, you should already know. Your greatest value right now lies in just that one thing," Xu Jin smiled. This was far smoother than he'd expected.

Qiao Shen thought for only an instant, then found the answer—and his face changed instantly. "No!"

In the instant Xu Jin's expression turned cold and killing intent surged, Qiao Shen hurriedly explained, "I'm not saying I won't give it to you—I simply can't! All Numinous Palace disciples undergo a Divine Soul seal when receiving their inheritance—we are forbidden to pass it on to anyone!

Transmit it, and you die, your soul annihilated!"

"If that's the case, then you have no value at all!"

Xu Jin spread his hands helplessly. "Young Master Qiao, you're my prisoner. If you want me to spare your life, you must offer me something of value!

That's the only thing I'm interested in.

Besides, you have no other value whatsoever!

Look—if you can give me what I want, I'll spare your life and even help you find a new body or a vessel for your spiritual essence.

If you can't, keeping your spiritual essence is just a ticking bomb!

Better to kill you and be done with it," Xu Jin said.

At these words, Qiao Shen grew even more terrified. "Wait, wait! Let me think—give me time to think!"

(End of Chapter)