Chapter 51: The First Victim

“Answer me, why!”

In the instant Niu Gui roared like thunder, he immediately triggered his final Star Burst Seal and hurled it at Ji Bochang, who had just turned to find his horse, while simultaneously lowering his stance and lunging forward with his blade.

The other disciples were stunned by this sudden turn of events.

How had they suddenly turned on each other?

Xu Jin was not the least surprised—he even admired Niu Gui’s decisiveness.

When Niu Gui first shouted “Why?”, Xu Jin had already silently thought him foolish, believing Niu Gui was too sentimental.

When the opponent is stronger, shouldn’t you subdue them first before asking questions?

He hadn’t expected that by the time Niu Gui roared the second “Why?”, he had already struck.

Since discovering the problem, Xu Jin had been secretly holding his cultivated Spin Blade Seal, ready to act at any moment—but he dared not strike first.

He was only suspicious, and he didn’t know the full power of his own seal; if he launched it and it got shattered like Jiao Yuechong’s, things would get messy.

Ji Bochang was the Squad Leader of the Patrol Star Guard.

So Xu Jin had waited for Niu Gui’s decision.

Now that Niu Gui had moved, Xu Jin still didn’t immediately unleash his Spin Blade Seal—mainly because after firing his Star Burst Seal, Niu Gui himself had charged forward.

The Spin Blade Seal, once unleashed, was indiscriminate.

Moreover, Xu Jin dared not get too close to Ji Bochang.

The cultivation gap was too vast; if he got too near, Ji Bochang could slice him to death in one strike, and Xu Jin wouldn’t even know how it happened!

Almost simultaneously, Ji Bochang, bent over searching for his horse, spun around like a whirlwind, his sword erupting in starlight as he unleashed a series of continuous slicing strikes that shattered the newly exploded Star Burst Seal, then slashed out in one motion.

“Old Niu, you’re asking for death!”

The sword’s starlight surged over four meters, and as it descended, it split into three long, slashing beams of light.

Even with his vast experience, Niu Gui dodged two of the sword beams with swift movements, but he had no choice but to block the third with his blade.

The starlight blade, solidified by starlight, cleanly severed Niu Gui’s standard-issue longsword.

In the instant the blade broke, Niu Gui punched out a basic Star Shield with his left arm to intercept Ji Bochang’s sword, while starlight flared violently across his left arm and chest—he had channeled massive star energy into defense in that split second.

But the cultivation gap was simply too great.

One was at the Sixth Layer of Meal the Mist, the other at the Seventh Layer of Star Refining—there was even a Star Casting Realm between them.

The Star Shield shattered; his left arm was severed outright. The residual starlight from Ji Bochang’s sword slammed into Niu Gui’s left chest, shattering his armor—but fortunately, it was only residual force, blocked by the starlight Niu Gui had concentrated.

Niu Gui was blasted backward, spitting blood.

At that moment.

Xu Jin moved.

Xu Jin knew this was his chance.

His only chance to act.

In the blink of an eye.

Almost as Ji Bochang’s sword descended, Xu Jin poured his star energy into the Spin Blade Seal, activating it, then hurled it toward Ji Bochang.

In the instant Niu Gui was flung back, the Spin Blade Seal had transformed into a whirling blade-wheel, hurtling at Ji Bochang at high speed.

“Boy, I’ve been watching you all along!”

Ji Bochang sneered, yanking his sword back in front of him and spinning it rapidly; the starlight coalesced into a thick, scaled star shield before him.

Before the blade-wheel reached him, Ji Bochang had already formed two solid scaled star shields in front of his body.

In truth, Ji Bochang had lied from the start—the Spin Blade Seal wasn’t ineffective against late-stage Star Refining; it remained a grave threat, being a modified and enhanced star technique created by Ning Yuchan herself.

He said otherwise only to lull Xu Jin into complacency.

Even after seeing Xu Jin put away the Spin Blade Seal, Ji Bochang had remained vigilant.

Because in this entire team, the only threats to him were the seals held by Xu Jin and Niu Gui.

Seeing the blade-wheel strike, he had swiftly erected two layers of scaled star shields, and Ji Bochang finally exhaled in relief.

He couldn’t stop Ning Yuchan—but a Spin Blade Seal crafted by her, if prepared for, could still be blocked.

But the next instant, Ji Bochang’s eyes widened in shock.

The hurtling blade-wheel instantly shredded his first scaled star shield, then, with lightning speed, tore through his second.

In fact, the moment he formed those two shields, the blade-wheel struck and shattered them.

What he couldn’t accept was that the blade-wheel, after shredding both his shields, remained completely unharmed.

How could it shred two scaled star shields without damage?

Was this the power Ning Yuchan herself could produce?

But this was a seal—a star technique engraved into a seal should have far less power than when cast by the original user.

How could this be?

Ji Bochang had no time to ponder this.

He had assumed the two scaled star shields would drain most of the blade-wheel’s power, letting him easily annihilate it.

Now it appeared the blade-wheel had lost little of its power.

Dodging was impossible—he could only brace himself.

In an instant, Ji Bochang poured every ounce of his star energy into his sword and slashed it toward the blade-wheel with blinding speed; he stomped his foot, summoning a star shield to envelop his entire body, while his left hand pushed forward.

Before the blade-wheel struck, he summoned a basic Star Shield within the star shield, protecting his vital chest area.

Instantly summoned basic Star Shields could still save one’s life in critical moments.

The next instant, Ji Bochang’s sword was knocked from his grasp, the starlight he had unleashed shattered—but his full-power strike, combined with the energy consumed by the two scaled shields, had significantly drained the star energy within the Spin Blade Wheel.

The upper half of the blade-wheel vanished by half, its starlight dimmed considerably, yet it still slammed into Ji Bochang with residual force.

The star shield Ji Bochang had raised shattered instantly.

But the basic Star Shield on his chest and the frantic star energy he had poured into his upper body had taken effect.

They blocked the upper half of the blade-wheel, causing it to vanish entirely.

But the lower half of the blade-wheel sliced forward like thunder.

A continuous hissing sound of starlight shredding flesh echoed.

A groan turned instantly into a scream.

Blood sprayed everywhere!

From his abdomen downward, Ji Bochang’s pelvis and both legs were shredded to pieces.

He collapsed on the spot.

Blood gushed uncontrollably; from the shredded wounds, Xu Jin could even see intestines, other organs, and filth spilling across the ground.

Yet even now, Ji Bochang was not dead—he writhed and screamed, desperately channeling star energy toward his wounds, trying to survive.

He even pulled out an entire bottle of Golden Healing Ointment and poured it onto his wounds.

Xu Jin watched Ji Bochang struggle for survival, but ignored him.

For an ordinary person, such a wound would be fatal.

But for a Star Refining expert, it was uncertain.

One thing was certain: even if Ji Bochang lived, he was finished.

All that blood wasn’t spilled for nothing; his intestines weren’t severed for nothing.

But Xu Jin still dared not approach.

Who knew if the bastard would unleash one final star technique before dying and take Xu Jin with him?

That would be a terrible loss.

He let Ji Bochang fend for himself, then turned and rushed toward the fallen Niu Gui.

He tore off a long strip of cloth, binding Niu Gui’s bleeding stump, pouring his entire bottle of Golden Healing Ointment onto it—but it wasn’t enough, so he shouted, “Golden Healing Ointment!”

The other disciples finally snapped out of their shock and began handing over their issued Golden Healing Ointment to Xu Jin.

The changes had been too sudden.

After more than ten breaths, the bleeding from Niu Gui’s stump had stopped; Xu Jin gave him half a bottle of Golden Healing Ointment internally, and only then did Niu Gui’s breath begin to stabilize.

In truth, Niu Gui’s wound wasn’t severe—the severed arm was minor; the real damage came from Ji Bochang’s sword strike.

Though he had blocked it, his chest was a bloody mess; the starlight had pierced his body, nearly shattering his Star Pattern.

He was only just beginning to recover.

Ten meters away, Ji Bochang still writhed, star energy surging wildly around his severed lower body; the blood flow had slowed but wouldn’t stop—his wound was too vast, and if it continued, he would bleed out.

Niu Gui struggled to his feet and slowly walked to a spot five meters from Ji Bochang, clearly wary of his dying thrashing.

“Answer me, why?” Niu Gui asked in a low, sorrowful voice.

To be betrayed by a former comrade—no one could bear it easily.

“Save me first, Old Niu, save me—I’m dying!” Ji Bochang, clearly terrified of death, spoke incoherently.

Niu Gui glanced at him, asked the others for a bottle of Golden Healing Ointment, and tossed it over—but Ji Bochang wasn’t satisfied: “Old Niu, this isn’t enough! Do you have a Star Healing Seal? Save me now!”

“If I could afford a Star Healing Seal, would I have lost my arm?” Niu Gui sneered.

Niu Gui’s words instantly struck Ji Bochang—he looked at Niu Gui, then at the group of Meal the Mist disciples.

He himself hadn’t carried a Star Healing Seal—how could these people possibly have one?

Suddenly, Ji Bochang turned to Xu Jin: “Why is your Spin Blade Seal so powerful?

It’s completely abnormal.”

Xu Jin shook his head innocently—he could only say Ji Bochang was the first victim of a Star Lamp-imbued seal’s true power.

Niu Gui, however, roared: “Tell me—why!”

At this point, Ji Bochang, knowing he was doomed and would surely die, stopped struggling and gasped, “Thirteen years ago, my family was poor and my mother was gravely ill and near death. Zhou Shanchang used star power to cure her illness and funded my enrollment at Jinshan Dao Academy to awaken the stars. He gave me silver to support my cultivation, helping me break through to the Star Refining realm.”

I never had a chance to repay him.

Last night, he gave me the chance to repay him.”

“You really are loyal and righteous,” Niu Gui said, his tone neither clearly sarcastic nor complimentary.

“Old Niu, plead for mercy from the Duzhu on my behalf—spare my son’s life. Thank you.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Ji Bochang slumped over, lifeless.

(End of Chapter)