Chapter 477

Near the western sea, Xu Jin paused to consider, then prioritized pulling the Numinous Space of Sun Sun Xianzu, the Grand Elder of the Starcangming Palace.

Among the four Gao Jie, Sun Sun Xianzu was the oldest, nearly two hundred years old, and held the highest status; his Nascent Soul cultivation base was also extremely formidable—Nascent Soul peak.

Very strong.

He was, without doubt, the strongest Nascent Soul cultivator Xu Jin had ever encountered.

At such an age and with such status, rising to this level was only natural.

Yet he was still shredded by a single sword slash from the Illusionary Body of Qi Sha Tianyang Zhenjun.

Fortunately, it was the Illusionary Body of Qi Sha Tianyang Zhenjun that shredded him.

Had it been Xu Jin himself, the difficulty of defeating him would have increased dramatically.

Xu Jin estimated that even injecting sixty or seventy Nine Heaven Thunder Rhythms would not be enough to kill him in one strike.

This was also why the Illusionary Body of Qi Sha Tianyang Zhenjun had exhausted its power before fully slaying the Third Elder, Lu Lu Zhenyuan.

Slaying Grand Elder Sun Sun Xianzu consumed too much energy.

This battle allowed Xu Jin to test the limits of the Illusionary Body of Qi Sha Tianyang Zhenjun.

Its combat power was immense, but its endurance was poor.

There was no help for it—this was merely a single wooden sword. Though refined by Qi Sha Tianyang Zhenjun, its quality was exceptional, yet still fundamentally limited.

Previously, Xu Jin had considered using the Illusionary Body of Qi Sha Tianyang Zhenjun to slay someone like Tian Yang Tianyang Xingjun if cornered beyond redemption.

But now it was clear: the Illusionary Body of Qi Sha Tianyang Zhenjun possessed the power to kill Tian Yang Tianyang Xingjun, yet lacked the stamina.

If Tian Yang Tianyang Xingjun endured just a few strikes, the Illusionary Body would collapse!

If encountering Tian Yang Tianyang Xingjun or Starcangming Jun, using it to save one's life was feasible, but using it to kill enemies was nearly impossible.

Last time, Xu Jin spent over three days fully charging the Qi Sha Ironwood Sword within the Qi Sha Star Domain to restore its cultivation to Gao Jie lower tier; after returning to the mortal realm and cultivating for a month, he had to recharge the Qi Sha Ironwood Sword daily with star force and soul essence for nearly a month to restore its aura to peak condition.

Now, a single battle had drained it completely.

After this battle, Xu Jin had already planned to immediately recharge the Qi Sha Ironwood Sword with star force.

This was currently his strongest life-saving weapon.

Ten breaths later, the Numinous Space of Sun Sun Xianzu, Grand Elder of the Starcangming Palace, instantly materialized.

Whoosh!

With a flick of his spiritual sense, a mountain instantly piled up before Xu Jin.

A mountain of jade tablets over fifty meters high, of all grades, interspersed with countless treasures.

At a single glance, Xu Jin saw vast quantities of heavenly treasures and rare materials.

In an instant, his eyes turned red.

Wealth beyond measure!

This old devil, Grand Elder Sun Sun Xianzu of the Starcangming Palace, had lived nearly two hundred years and served as Grand Elder for over sixty years—his accumulated wealth was truly immense.

Now, it all belonged to Xu Jin.

Such a vast hoard could not even fit into his own Numinous Space.

One could imagine how large Sun Sun Xianzu's Numinous Space must have been.

Xu Jin estimated it held several thousand cubic meters.

Time, indeed, was the greatest magic.

For an ordinary person, this would have been impossible.

One would have to take only the most valuable items and risk transporting them.

But Xu Jin had the Qi Sha Star Domain.

With a thought, he opened the Star Gate of the Qi Sha Star Domain nearby, swept his sleeves, and sent the mountain of wealth into the Qi Sha Star Domain.

Within the Qi Sha Star Domain, Xu Jin merely thought, pressed his hands lightly, and with a thunderous rumble, a vast underground treasure vault formed.

As powerful Nascent Soul spiritual sense surged, his palm swept across, revealing the vault's entrance; he deposited the mountain of wealth inside, and the entrance sealed shut again.

The next instant, Xu Jin left the Qi Sha Star Domain.

The detailed inventory could wait until after the battle.

Right now, time was critical.

Who knew if any of them had sent word to Starcangming Jun? Would Starcangming Jun come?

If Starcangming Jun arrived now, and the Illusionary Body of Qi Sha Tianyang Zhenjun had no power left, Xu Jin would have no choice but to retreat into the Qi Sha Star Domain.

Near the western sea, Xu Jin swiftly pulled the Numinous Spaces of the other three Elders one after another.

Compared to Grand Elder Sun Sun Xianzu, the wealth within the Numinous Spaces of the other Starcangming Palace Elders was vastly inferior.

At least ten times less.

Still, they were Elders—there was still profit to be had.

Xu Jin sent them all into the treasure vault of the Qi Sha Star Domain, to be inventoried later when things stabilized.

After a dozen breaths, a surge of powerful spatial star force swept clean all traces, and Xu Jin swiftly returned to the Xingxing Tower branch in Xihai Province.

As for his explanation, he had already prepared it.

He had used the life-saving artifact given to him by the State Tutor, luring those men away.

As for the rest—he knew nothing.

Let the spies of the two Star Palaces guess.

Of course, Xu Jin did not forget to send the State Tutor a star-message confirming his safety.

Such a major event deserved to be reported to the State Tutor.

Leizhou.

The Xingxing Token of State Tutor Cheng Cheng Yuexiao, who was currently facing off against Tian Yang Tianyang Xingjun, suddenly vibrated violently; his spiritual sense instantly sank inward.

The first message made State Tutor Cheng Cheng Yuexiao exhale in relief.

It was Xu Jin's star-message confirming his safety.

But the following content caused his pupils to contract sharply and his heart to tremble violently!

Even with his composure, his emotions could not help but surge.

The main reason was the staggering outcome.

Starcangming Jun had made an enormous move, dispatching four Gao Jie to Xihai Province, led by Grand Elder Sun Sun Xianzu.

After instantly annihilating the Gao Jie Elder Zhu Zhu Shoulun of the Tian Yang Star Palace and two Qi Jie cultivators, they turned back toward the Xihai Branch.

Xu Jin stepped forward.

And then he turned the tables!

He slaughtered all four!

Honestly, only Xu Jin would send him this.

If anyone else sent it—even Peng Lao and Grand Commander Pei Ze together—he wouldn't believe a single word!

Not one word!

Who was Grand Elder Sun Sun Xianzu of the Starcangming Palace?

He had accumulated two centuries of power and once fought a draw with Zhen E Tianyang Xingjun when the latter had just reached Gao Jie early stage!

Yet Xu Jin had turned the tables and killed him!

Xu Jin also mentioned he had used a secret artifact from the Qi Sha Tianyang Zhenjun's legacy, and his power was now exhausted.

Still, it filled State Tutor Cheng Cheng Yuexiao with overwhelming joy!

In an instant, it felt as if two-thirds of the mountain crushing his head had vanished!

For the Chen Guo Dao Yuan, the Tian Yang Star Palace held a massive numerical advantage among its mortal realm Gao Jie cultivators—but so did the Starcangming Palace!

After driving out the Tian Yang Star Palace's forces, Cheng Cheng Yuexiao would still need to tread carefully against the Starcangming Palace.

Precisely because the Starcangming Palace's Gao Jie strength was no less than the Tian Yang Star Palace's.

If the Starcangming Palace truly broke ties and launched a full-scale assault, Chen Guo would struggle to respond.

But now, the Starcangming Palace had lost four Gao Jie outright!

The Starcangming Palace's Gao Jie strength was never greater than the Tian Yang Star Palace's; now, with four gone, only four remained.

And the strongest among them—Grand Elder Sun Sun Xianzu under Starcangming Jun—had been killed.

No more fear!

No more fear at all!

Relief!

Even if they launched a full assault, Peng Lao himself could fight two at once.

As long as they fought on home ground, there was nothing to fear.

The same applied to the Tian Yang Star Palace.

Currently known: three Tian Yang Star Palace Gao Jie cultivators had been eliminated, one severely wounded.

Six Qi Jie cultivators had also been killed.

These six Qi Jie were the backbone of the Tian Yang Star Palace.

The Tian Yang Star Palace now had only five Gao Jie cultivators left.

One more than the Starcangming Palace—henceforth, they could be handled.

Not as difficult as now.

As long as they fought on home ground, coordinated with the Xingxing Tower, there was nothing to fear.

Amidst wild joy, State Tutor Cheng Cheng Yuexiao took a deep breath and silently warned himself.

"Don't lower your guard!" "Keep pretending to be weak!"

"We need more time to strengthen our state, to let Meng Meng Yanhui, Dong Zhao, Xu Jin, and others grow further."

"Otherwise, if the Two Star Palaces unite again, they may repeat the disaster of twenty years ago."

Even as he continually reminded himself, State Advisor Cheng Cheng Yuexiao began pondering how to handle the aftermath.

By this point in the battle, all strategic objectives had been achieved.

Now, it was time to wrap up.

Although State Advisor Cheng Cheng Yuexiao fiercely suppressed his delight, his emotions had still flickered when he first saw the starlight message, and the opposite Sun Star True Person had keenly sensed it.

This made the already slightly anxious Sun Star True Person grow even more urgent.

Per pre-battle orders, every eighth-rank participant was required to report their battle status every hundred breaths, so he could respond in real time.

The death of seventh-rank warriors was acceptable.

But the death of an eighth-rank was a massive loss.

Every single eighth-rank death was a tremendous blow to the Sun Star Palace at this moment.

No eighth-rank could be allowed to fall!

Yet even under such strict instructions, an accident occurred.

A hundred breaths had passed, yet three Elders had still not sent their latest battle reports.

Or rather, they had not sent any word of safety.

They were Fifth Elder Zhu Zhu Shoulun, Sixth Elder Xiang Zhen, and Eighth Elder Luo Yi.

This made the Sun Star True Person anxious.

On the Songzhou front, Grand Elder Wang Kan, due to the Fourth Elder's severe injuries and their failure to break through, had already begun withdrawing.

The same was true in Danzhou.

Two eighth-ranks had besieged Grand Commander Pei Ze of Great Chen; though they held clear advantage, Pei Ze held the terrain advantage thanks to the Star-Plucking Tower's branch, yet their strategic goal had been achieved—they had successfully pinned Pei Ze there.

The true key to victory lay with the eighth-rank warriors dispatched to Yanzhou, Jingzhou, and Xihaizhou.

They were the true force carrying out "an eye for an eye, a life for a life."

Yet precisely these three locations had remained silent so far.

But no matter how the Sun Star True Person calculated, he could not conceive of any force in Great Chen capable of defeating these three eighth-ranks.

Suddenly, the Sun Star True Person noticed Cheng Cheng Yuexiao's expression shift.

His heart stirred slightly.

What had happened?

He could no longer hold back!

Even as a Star True Person, Zhu Zhen, in his urgency, began sending starlight messages directly to the eighth- and seventh-rank warriors dispatched to these three provinces, demanding battle updates.

Even if the eighth-ranks had no time to reply, surely the seventh-ranks could?

But in the next instant, the Sun Star True Person's expression froze.

Failed!

Starlight message delivery failed!

He sent nine starlight messages—and all nine failed.

In an instant, the Sun Star True Person's heart sank, his face turning grim.

There were two reasons starlight messages could fail.

But it was madness for these eighth- and seventh-rank warriors to store their Star-Plucking Tokens in their Nirmāṇakāya spaces.

That meant only one possibility—they were dead.

Three eighth-ranks and six seventh-ranks—all dead!

Worse still, none of these three eighth-ranks and six seventh-ranks had sent any warning or distress message before dying!

What did this mean?

It meant their opponent was strong.

And they had killed them in the shortest possible time.

In the mortal realm, who else had the power to kill these eighth-ranks so swiftly that they had no time to cry for help?

In an instant, the Sun Star True Person's face turned deathly pale.

He thought of many things.

The Zhen'e Star Palace, Cangming Star Palace, even the Wood Spirit Palace and Nirmāṇakāya Palace all possessed such power.

But who could it be?

In the next instant, the Sun Star True Person's gaze turned icy as he looked at the solemn Cheng Cheng Yuexiao across from him, and bowed from afar: "State Advisor Cheng, your calculations are impressive—I admire you."

"Luck!"

"Pure luck!" Cheng Cheng Yuexiao smiled and returned the bow.

"Hmph!"

In the next instant, the Sun Star True Person turned and vanished in a streak of starlight, simultaneously sending starlight messages to all other squads.

Retreat!

Seeing the Sun Star True Person depart, State Advisor Cheng Cheng Yuexiao swiftly returned to the Leizhou branch academy.

"Raise the academy's protective array! Hold firm!"

After uttering these words, Cheng Cheng Yuexiao instantly entered the Star-Plucking Tower branch and returned rapidly to the main tower of Great Chen's Star-Plucking Tower.

He then sent alert messages to all battle units: return to defend the branch academies, and immediately notify him if any eighth-rank enemy appeared.

Now, he was no longer afraid.

Whether it was the Sun Star True Person or the Cangming Star True Person—even if they sought revenge by attacking a branch academy—he had ample time to reinforce.

As for the two joining forces?

In the short term, these two could not unite.

But over time, who could say?

So now, Great Chen must still strive harder!

Inside the Cangming Star Palace's main hall, the Cangming Star True Person, who had killed several in Jingzhou, had already returned to the main palace.

Though he could still kill, he could go no further.

Killing just one, Great Chen knew it was him, and he knew Great Chen knew it was him—but neither would speak it aloud.

Because this loss fell within both sides' acceptable limits.

But if he killed too many, and pushed Cheng Cheng Yuexiao to the brink, Cheng might abandon his dignity and infiltrate secretly, assassinating one by one the Cangming Star Palace's elites and top prodigies.

Then there would be no way to stop him.

That would cost the Cangming Star Palace dearly, leaving only the Sun Star True Person grinning broadly.

That was precisely why he had returned after killing only Ji Bang.

This thin veneer of civility could not yet be fully torn away.

Of course, greater gains would depend on Grand Elder Sun Sun Xianzu and others.

Grand Elder Sun Sun Xianzu and others had slain an eighth-rank of the Sun Star Palace, then slaughtered all the elite troops of Great Chen's Xihaizhou—weakening Great Chen while delivering a lesson.

And it was the lower Elders who had done it.

Even if known, it was no problem.

He, as a Star True Person, could smooth things over.

On the surface, the alliance must still stand!

Thus, this battle had severely weakened the Sun Star Palace's strength.

Great Chen's strength had also been weakened.

And Great Chen had been warned and chastised!

Perfect!

But calculating the time, Grand Elder Sun Sun Xianzu and others should have completed their mission by now.

"Let's ask about the results."

With a thought, Cangming Star True Person Wu Shou sent a starlight message directly to Grand Elder Sun Sun Xianzu of the Cangming Star Palace.

In the instant he sent it, his expression froze.

Failed to send!

The Cangming Star True Person sat bolt upright, cold sweat breaking out on his back.

At this moment, Grand Elder Sun Sun Xianzu could not possibly have stored his Star-Plucking Token in his Nirmāṇakāya space, nor could he have traveled to another star domain.

That meant only one possibility:

Dead!

Killed!

The moment shock flashed across his face, the Cangming Star True Person immediately sent a starlight message to Third Elder Lu Lu Zhenyuan.

Failed!

He sent one to Fourth Elder Fei Zheng.

Failed!

He sent one to Sixth Elder Fu Di.

Failed!

In the next instant, Star Lord Cang Ming collapsed back into his chair, his face turning pale, his expression suddenly chillingly grim.

"How could this happen?"

(End of Chapter)