Chapter 51: The First Victim

"Answer me, why!"

The instant Lei Guang roared like thunder, he directly triggered the last Star-Burst Emblem in his hand, blasting it toward Ji Bochang, who had just turned around to look for his horse. At the same time, he lowered his body and lunged forward with his blade.

The other disciples were shocked by this sudden, drastic change.

Why were they suddenly fighting among themselves?

Xu Jin, however, was not surprised at all; he even admired Lei Guang's decisiveness.

When Lei Guang asked the first "why," Xu Jin had secretly thought him pedantic, feeling that Lei Guang was too sentimental.

When the opponent's strength was superior, shouldn't one take them down first?

He hadn't expected that by the time the second "why" was roared, Lei Guang would have already made his move.

Ever since Xu Jin discovered the problem, he had been secretly clutching the nourished Spinning-Blade Emblem, ready to strike at any moment, but he dared not be the first to act.

Now that he only had suspicions, he was unsure of the power of the emblem in his hand. If he blasted it out and it ended up like Yue Chong, being shredded to pieces, it would be hard to explain.

Ji Bochang was, after all, a Flag Master of the Star Patrol Guard.

Therefore, Xu Jin had been waiting for Lei Guang's decision.

Seeing Lei Guang make his move, Xu Jin did not immediately blast out the Spinning-Blade Emblem, mainly because after Lei Guang blasted out the Star-Burst Emblem, he had charged forward himself.

This Spinning-Blade Emblem, if blasted out, would be indiscriminate.

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

The gap in cultivation was too great; if he were too close and killed by Ji Bochang in one sword strike, Xu Jin wouldn't even know what happened!

Almost at the same instant, Ji Bochang, who was stooping to find his horse, turned like a whirlwind. His long sword erupted with starlight, continuously shredding, and he actually shredded the just-exploded Star-Burst. At the same time, he slashed out with his sword!

"Old Lei, you are seeking your own death!"

The starlight on the long sword surged over four meters. As he slashed down, he actually unleashed three long sword beams in a single strike.

Lei Guang, who had lunged forward, was experienced. His body flashed repeatedly to dodge two of the sword beams, but he could only use the long blade in his palm to meet the final sword beam head-on.

The sword beam, carrying materialized starlight, directly snapped Lei Guang's standard-issue long blade.

The instant the long blade snapped, Lei Guang's left arm blasted out a Basic Star Shield to block Ji Bochang's sword beam. At the same time, starlight exploded from Lei Guang's left arm and chest; he had mobilized a massive amount of Star Power for defense in that instant.

But in the end, the gap in cultivation was too great.

One was at the sixth layer of Meal of Mist, the other at the seventh layer of Refine Star, with a Forge Star Realm in between.

The Star Shield shattered, his left arm was directly severed, and the remaining power of the starlight from Ji Bochang's sword slammed fiercely into Lei Guang's left chest. His armor shattered, but fortunately, it was only the remaining power, which was blocked by the starlight Lei Guang had mobilized.

Lei Guang was blasted backward, vomiting blood.

Just at this moment.

Xu Jin moved.

Xu Jin knew this was his chance.

It was also his only chance to act.

It all happened in a flash.

Almost as Ji Bochang's long sword slashed down, Xu Jin's Star Power surged into the Spinning-Blade Emblem, triggering it, and then he blasted it toward Ji Bochang.

The moment Lei Guang was blasted away, the Spinning-Blade Emblem had already transformed into a rapidly spinning blade wheel, blasting toward Ji Bochang at high speed.

"Kid, I've been guarding against you for a long time!"

Ji Bochang let out a cold laugh. He abruptly retracted his long sword, spinning it in front of him. As the sword light swirled, it instantly condensed into a thick layer of Scaled-Light Star Shield to protect his front.

Before the blade wheel reached his body, Ji Bochang had actually condensed two thick Scaled-Light Star Shields in front of him.

In fact, Ji Bochang had lied from the beginning. The Spinning-Blade Emblem was not ineffective against the late stage of Refine Star; it still posed a huge threat. That was a Star Art improved and strengthened by that monster Ning Yuchan herself.

The reason he said that was merely to paralyze Xu Jin.

Even though Ji Bochang watched Xu Jin put away the Spinning-Blade Emblem, he had always been wary of Xu Jin.

Because in the team before him, the only ones who could threaten him were Xu Jin and the emblems held by Lei Guang.

Seeing the blade wheel reaching his body, he had quickly set up two layers of Scaled-Light Star Shields, and Ji Bochang breathed a sigh of relief.

He couldn't block Ning Yuchan, but the Spinning-Blade Emblem produced by Ning Yuchan could be blocked if one was prepared.

But the next instant, Ji Bochang's eyes widened abruptly.

The rapidly arriving blade wheel instantly tore through his first Scaled-Light Star Shield, and then, with lightning speed, tore through his second Scaled-Light Star Shield.

In fact, the moment he condensed the two Scaled-Light Star Shields, they were torn apart by the incoming blade wheel.

What he couldn't accept was that after tearing through the two Scaled-Light Star Shields he had set up, this Spinning-Blade Wheel was actually undamaged!

Undamaged after tearing through the two Scaled-Light Star Shields he had set up? How could this be?

If Ning Yuchan came in person, would the power be about the same?

But this was an emblem! The power of a Star Art engraved into an emblem should be greatly reduced compared to when the original owner performed it.

How could it be like this?

Ji Bochang had no time to think about these things.

He had originally thought that the two Scaled-Light Star Shields could consume most of the blade wheel's power, and then he could easily shred the blade wheel.

Now it seemed that the blade wheel's power hadn't been consumed much at all.

It was too late to dodge; he could only resist head-on.

In an instant, Ji Bochang poured all his ability into his long sword and slashed lightning-fast at the blade wheel. Stamping his foot, a starlight cover appeared, covering his entire body, while his left hand pushed slightly.

Before the blade wheel reached his body, he set up another Basic Star Shield inside the starlight cover, protecting his vital chest area.

An instantly cast Basic Star Shield could still save his life at a critical moment.

The next instant, Ji Bochang's long sword was shredded away by the blade wheel, and the slashed starlight was shredded, but this full-power explosive strike from Ji Bochang, plus the consumption of the previous two Scaled-Light Star Shields, also significantly consumed the Star Power within this Spinning-Blade Wheel.

The upper half of the blade wheel directly disappeared, and the starlight dimmed a bit, but it still slammed into Ji Bochang's body with remaining power.

The starlight cover Ji Bochang had propped up was instantly shredded.

But the Basic Star Shield set up on his chest and the starlight frantically mobilized by his upper body also had an effect.

They resisted the upper half of the Spinning-Blade Wheel, directly causing the upper half of the Spinning-Blade Wheel to disappear.

But the lower half of the blade wheel cut through like thunder.

*Chi chi chi*—the sound of starlight shredding flesh rang out incessantly.

The muffled groan directly turned into a scream.

Blood splashed!

From Ji Bochang's abdomen downwards, his crotch and both legs were all shredded.

He fell to the ground on the spot.

Blood gushed out uncontrollably. At the shredded wound, Xu Jin even saw intestinal filth and other organs; blood and filth flowed all over the ground.

But even so, Ji Bochang was still not dead. He struggled while screaming, frantically mobilizing Star Power to surge toward his wounds, intending to survive.

He even took out a whole bottle of Golden Trauma Medicine from his bosom and sprinkled it onto his wounds.

Xu Jin looked at Ji Bochang, who was struggling to survive, and ignored him.

Such injuries, for an ordinary person, would be fatal.

But for a master of the Refine Star Realm, it was hard to say.

What was certain was that the current Ji Bochang, even if he didn't die, would be in a terrible state.

So much blood couldn't have been shed in vain, and his intestines couldn't have been severed in vain.

But Xu Jin still dared not get close.

Heaven knows if this guy would explode with a Star Art after he got close, taking Xu Jin with him before he died.

That would be a huge loss.

He let him fend for himself for now. Turning around, Xu Jin lunged toward the fallen Lei Guang.

Tearing off a long strip of cloth, he first bandaged Lei Guang's severed arm wound where blood was gushing, and poured his own bottle of Golden Trauma Medicine onto it. It wasn't enough, so he shouted, "Golden Trauma Medicine!"

The other disciples finally reacted and one after another took out the Golden Trauma Medicine they had been issued and handed it to Xu Jin.

Mainly, the changes were too drastic.

After a dozen breaths, the gushing blood from Lei Guang's severed arm stopped. Xu Jin then had Lei Guang take half a bottle of Golden Trauma Medicine internally, and only then did Lei Guang's aura improve.

In fact, Lei Guang's injury was not heavy at the severed arm; the heavy part was the sword strike Ji Bochang had slashed.

Although he had blocked it, his chest was a bloody mess, and the starlight had slashed into his body; it had almost shattered Lei Guang's Star Pattern.

Only now did he feel a bit better.

And over ten meters away, Ji Bochang was still struggling. Starlight was frantically surging at his severed lower body, and the flow of blood slowed down, but it just wouldn't stop. The wound was too large; if it continued, he would inevitably die of blood exhaustion.

Lei Guang struggled to stand up and slowly walked to a spot four or five meters away from Ji Bochang and stood still, obviously also guarding against Ji Bochang's deathbed struggle.

"Answer me, why?" Lei Guang asked in a deep voice, his face full of sorrow.

Being betrayed by a former comrade-in-arms, no one would feel good.

"Save me first, Old Lei, save me first, I'm about to die!" Ji Bochang was obviously afraid of death, and at this moment, he was so anxious he was incoherent.

Lei Guang looked, asked the crowd for a bottle of Golden Trauma Medicine, and threw it over, but Ji Bochang was still not satisfied. "Old Lei, this isn't enough, do you have a Star-Healing Emblem? Save me first!"

"If I could afford a Star-Healing Emblem, would I still have a severed arm?" Lei Guang sneered.

Lei Guang's words also instantly woke Ji Bochang up. Ji Bochang looked at Lei Guang, then looked at the crowd of disciples in the Meal of Mist Realm. That was true.

He didn't even have a spare Star-Healing Emblem; how could these people have one?

Suddenly, Ji Bochang looked at Xu Jin. "This Spinning-Blade Emblem of yours, why is its power so great?

It's completely abnormal."

Xu Jin shook his head innocently. He could only say that Ji Bochang was the first victim of the power difference after the Star Lamp nourished the emblem.

Lei Guang, however, was angry. "Speak, why?"

At this moment, Ji Bochang, knowing he was doomed and would surely die, stopped struggling and panted, "Thirteen years ago, my family was poor, and my mother was seriously ill and dying. Chief Zhou took action and used Star Power to heal my mother's serious illness, then funded my entry into Jinshan Dao Academy to light the stars. He gave me silver to help me cultivate, helping me break through to the Refine Star Realm all the way.

I never had a chance to repay him.

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

"You really are sentimental and righteous!" When Lei Guang said this, it was hard to tell if it was sarcasm or praise.

"Old Lei, plead for mercy for me to the Commandant, spare my son's life... Thank you..."

Just as he finished speaking, Ji Bochang tilted his head, and his aura vanished.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 52 =====