Chapter 511: Carrying the Spear and the Oath of Allegiance

In an instant, Xu Jin felt as if he had merged with the world before him.

He felt an indescribable familiarity with the Eight Wilderness Continent; every blade of grass and tree seemed warmly familiar.

At the same moment, Xu Jin felt an indescribable revulsion toward the other ten colleagues.

It was like cockroaches crawling up his arm—deeply repulsive.

For a fleeting instant, Xu Jin even felt the urge to kill.

This killing intent nearly betrayed itself as hostility.

At the critical moment, Xu Jin focused his mind on the Upper Star Palace and activated the Star Art of the Spiritual Platform, suppressing the killing intent.

Yet inside, he was stunned.

This was the primordial essence of the Great World, inherited from the ancestral cave-tian of the Eight Wilderness barbarians, which he had acquired when rescuing various star domains and merging them with the Eight Wilderness Continent.

It amounted to fourteen percent.

Previously, Xu Jin had obtained many small-world celestial and terrestrial wills.

He had experienced the same phenomenon before, even acquiring as much as sixty percent of the celestial and terrestrial will from a single star domain.

But he never expected the influence of this Great World's primordial essence to be so profound.

It was even affecting his fundamental heart.

Then, would the Eight Wilderness barbarians harbor such hostility toward the human race of the Blood God Sect?

If so, the humans of the Blood God Sect would have a hard time.

As Xu Jin followed Grand Commander Zhong Ji, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that even with just fourteen percent of the Great World's primordial essence, he could still harness the power of heaven and earth to augment himself.

But the enhancement was minimal—barely over ten percent.

In a small-world star domain, Xu Jin needed at least thirty percent of the celestial and terrestrial will to even activate heaven and earth's power.

This Great World's primordial essence was indeed different.

As for why the primordial essence of the barbarians' ancestral cave-tian, a Great World, still functioned within the Eight Wilderness Continent formed by fused small-world star domains,

Xu Jin had figured it out.

The barbarians' ancestral cave-tian was a Great World; it had directly swallowed and absorbed those small-world star domains into itself, becoming the Eight Wilderness Continent.

Or rather, those small-world star domains were nourishment for the growth of the barbarians' ancestral cave-tian.

Thus, it was not that the small-world star domains became a Great World, but that the barbarians' ancestral cave-tian—a Great World—expanded its territory.

After flying less than a thousand li, Zhong Ji landed the group in a village, where they boarded a giant bird called Hu Weng, ridden by feathered beings with pure white feathers on their backs, then soared into the sky to continue their journey.

The Hu Weng giant bird had a broad back; seating eleven people was remarkably spacious—Xu Jin estimated it could carry a hundred without issue.

Crucially, its speed was not slow.

It matched the speed of a typical sixth-rank peak cultivator, causing Xu Jin to look astonished.

"This isn't much—the Eight Wilderness races have all kinds of wonders!"

Seeing Xu Jin's surprise, his superior, Grand Commander Zhong Ji of the Blood Vulture, explained to him.

"Look at the cultivation rank of this feathered being—only late sixth rank.

Their tribe has seventh-rank members!

I've seen the largest Hu Weng bird, a mid-seventh-rank one, capable of carrying at least five hundred people.

Rumor says there are eighth-rank ones that can carry thousands at once." Zhong Ji explained.

"I've never seen this before—I'll need your lordship's guidance in the future," Xu Jin said humbly.

Seeing Xu Jin so considerate, Zhong Ji's stern face softened into a smile. "Once you've stayed a while, you'll get the general picture. Some Eight Wilderness races require caution.

But there are two things you must remember.

First, avoid those barbarians with golden horns.

They are born with intense hostility toward us—even when we're part of the same whole.

It's the same with them.

And their status is so special that if they die, there's no recourse."

Xu Jin naturally knew which barbarians were the golden-horned ones and why, but still nodded. "Thank you for your lordship's warning—what's the second point?"

"The second point,"

Zhong Ji glanced at the feathered being steering the Hu Weng bird, then whispered to Xu Jin, "The second point—you must remember this above all: among us humans of the Blood God Sect, only each other are trustworthy, only we form a true unity.

Especially within our Blood Vulture unit, our Discipline Hall—we are brothers who can entrust our lives to one another. You must stand united against the outside!"

This was the second time Zhong Ji had emphasized "internal unity" to Xu Jin.

It suddenly made Xu Jin realize the Eight Wilderness Continent's internal atmosphere might not be as harmonious as imagined.

Although the Blood God Sect had entered the Eight Wilderness Continent, it had not integrated.

Nor could it fully integrate!

Whether due to the world's will rejecting them or their human identity.

Suddenly, Xu Jin understood why the Blood God Sect, through Deputy Sect Master Da Hong Emperor, continuously drew humans and fully controlled barbarians from various ruling star domains.

It wasn't merely to grow stronger—it was also to gain greater influence within the Eight Wilderness Continent by strengthening themselves.

Suddenly, Xu Jin found a direction.

This direction would not only serve him well in the Eight Wilderness Continent, but could also prove immensely useful if humanity ever went to war with the Eight Wilderness Continent.

"Lord, how long will we fly?" Xu Jin asked.

"At this speed, another ten hours should do it—you'll get used to it. The Eight Wilderness Continent is formed by one star domain after another merging together—it's enormous, and still growing.

They say that even on our Hu Weng bird, flying from the easternmost to the westernmost edge would take seven days and seven nights." Zhong Ji said.

Hearing this, Xu Jin silently calculated.

If he used Thunder Dash at normal speed, he'd move about three times faster than this Hu Weng bird.

That meant, if Zhong Ji was correct, Xu Jin could fly from east to west of the Eight Wilderness Continent in roughly two days.

If he unleashed his full power without regard for exhaustion, he could cut that time to a day and a half.

During the flight, Xu Jin feigned curiosity, constantly observing the Eight Wilderness Continent from above.

He noticed many barbarian groups still existed.

Settlements and cities, though far fewer than those of present-day humanity, were far more numerous than on the Star River Battlefield.

This likely related to how the Eight Wilderness Continent absorbed star domains.

On the Star River Battlefield, absorbed star domains were fully conquered and occupied, their barbarians slaughtered to extinction.

But here on the Eight Wilderness Continent, entire star domains and their barbarians were absorbed together.

Naturally, settlements were extremely numerous.

Soon, Xu Jin noticed that whenever they passed large settlements, Grand Commander Zhong Ji's expression grew tense.

An hour later, as they passed a major city, Zhong Ji instantly sat upright, locking his seventh-rank aura onto the feathered rider. "Accelerate and detour!"

Under Zhong Ji's aura lock, the feathered being emitted strange shrill cries; the Hu Weng bird's speed surged by fifty percent.

Only after they were two hundred li from the large barbarian city did they slow down.

During this, Xu Jin noticed that from below, several elite squads had launched into the sky as they passed.

Several squads abandoned pursuit once the giant bird distanced itself.

But one elite squad chased them for a full two hundred li—only giving up when they realized they couldn't catch up.

At their closest, the distance was less than ten li.

Xu Jin faintly sensed that the leader of the most aggressive squad was seventh rank.

And brimming with murderous intent!

Suddenly, Xu Jin had an idea.

As a newcomer, it was difficult to quickly bond with the group's members.

But his past-life wisdom of the "Four Iron Bonds" gave him direction.

Fellow cultivators were out of the question.

But the bond of "shouldering a spear together"—fighting side by side—was achievable.

Shouldering a spear together meant fighting together; life-or-death camaraderie was forged this way.

Moreover, Xu Jin felt this could be expanded significantly!

Now, he needed only to wait for an opportunity.

A suitable opportunity.

After two hours of flight, Xu Jin saw another large city in the distance.

This barbarian city was larger than any they had passed before.

Upon seeing it, Zhong Ji immediately ordered, "Detour—take a longer route."

The feathered being obeyed.

The Hu Weng bird made a wide circle, detouring over two hundred li to bypass the giant barbarian city.

"Barbarians are troublesome. Though we aren't afraid of them, attracting their attention is a nightmare—better to detour." Zhong Ji explained.

"Thank you for your lordship's advice," Xu Jin said again.

Zhong Ji nodded approvingly—he was quite satisfied with this new subordinate.

Half a minute later, having traveled over three hundred li from the giant city, just as everyone thought they were safe, a squad suddenly charged diagonally from the left front.

Leading them was a purple-winged barbarian, radiating late seventh-rank energy, unmistakably prominent.

Moreover, this purple-winged squad numbered twenty, with two seventh-ranks among them—the rest all sixth rank.

In both quantity and quality, they vastly outmatched Xu Jin's group.

Zhong Ji instantly panicked.

"Fuck, bad luck—these bastards from Prince Zi Yi City didn't even dodge!"

"Accelerate!"

As he spoke, he tossed a pouch of star cores to the feathered human piloting the Hu Weng giant bird.

The latter seized the star cores with joy, fed one to the Hu Weng giant bird, and instantly, the bird's speed surged again.

Roughly equivalent to the speed of a seventh-rank late-stage cultivator.

But even so, its speed was barely equal to that of the pursuing Prince Zi Yi clan.

Fortunately, the distance between them had already exceeded twenty li.

They wouldn't be caught anytime soon.

The pursuing Prince Zi Yi clan chased after them, shouting curses all the while.

What they shouted was inaudible.

But it was certainly nothing good.

In the blink of an eye, the two sides chased each other for over five hundred li, leaving the distant Prince Zi Yi giant city far behind.

Yet this Prince Zi Yi clan squad still clung on relentlessly.

Xu Jin's heart stirred—he sensed an opportunity!

Perfect—time to play the "token of loyalty" game!

In the next instant, as Xu Jin slightly adjusted his posture, his fingertip brushed against the wing of the Hu Weng giant bird beneath him.

A thread of spiritual soul power slipped silently into the Hu Weng giant bird's body.

Very weak.

Merely a strand finer than a hair, carrying a touch of illusory dream power, injected into the Hu Weng giant bird.

Xu Jin had already sensed beforehand that the Hu Weng giant bird's spiritual soul power was exceedingly weak.

A little was enough.

The next instant, the Hu Weng giant bird, now submerged in illusion, let out a piercing, mournful cry and dove sharply toward the ground.

This dive terrified Zhong Ji!

"What the hell are you doing? Do you want to die?" Zhong Ji roared.

The feathered human panicked too, emitting strange shrill cries, but the Hu Weng giant bird, lost in illusion, was no longer under his control.

Its dive continued unrelenting.

The distance between them had been about twenty li.

Now, flying directly toward each other, the distance shrank rapidly.

Realizing his control was useless, Zhong Ji's face turned deathly pale. "Fuck! How unlucky—this time we're done for!"

The other sixth-rank cultivators also looked grim.

The power gap between them was simply too great!

"My lord, when a man dies, his bird flies to heaven! We might as well fight—die, but take at least one with us!" Xu Jin's body erupted in starlight as he turned to face the charging Prince Zi Yi outsiders, his voice sharp.

Zhong Ji looked at Xu Jin with surprise, deeply impressed by his boldness.

In this situation, there was no other choice.

"If we fall into the Prince Zi Yi clan's hands, we're dead anyway. As Brother Qi says—let's fight!"

In these few breaths, Qi Jin had become Brother Qi.

But the next instant, Qi Jin's spirit sagged; he turned and called out, "Brothers—if any of you survive and make it back, remember to report our fate to Elder Mu. He'll avenge us!"

"Exactly! Now, we kill one to break even, two to make a profit!" Xu Jin barked.

"Right! Fuck it—kill three, make a pair!" Zhong Ji roared.

Almost simultaneously, the pursuing Prince Zi Yi outsiders charged in.

Especially the two seventh-ranks, who lunged straight at Zhong Ji.

Locked onto by the aura of the two seventh-rank Prince Zi Yi outsiders, Zhong Ji's expression turned utterly hopeless.

In his mind, there was no path to survival.

At that moment, Xu Jin stepped beside Zhong Ji. "My lord, I'll fight beside you. I can hold off one seventh-rank—if you can wound the other, we still have a chance!"

Zhong Ji's face lit up with hope, his despair momentarily lifted.

"Kill!"

The next instant, both men shot forward as starlight, clashing with their foes.

Zhong Ji faced the seventh-rank seventh-layer Prince Zi Yi outsider; Xu Jin faced the seventh-rank fourth-layer Prince Zi Yi clan member, and they instantly clashed.

The moment they engaged, Xu Jin knew he still had to act.

The seventh-rank seventh-layer Prince Zi Yi outsider was stronger, but this seventh-rank fourth-layer Prince Zi Yi clan member was ordinary.

Xu Jin could kill him with a single, slightly stronger star technique.

But to save Zhong Ji from peril, he had to act.

Zhong Ji was from the Blood God Sect; its early-stage cultivation was rushed, so his foundation was poor.

With a weak foundation, his later-stage combat power was mediocre.

So Zhong Ji had no chance against the seventh-rank seventh-layer Prince Zi Yi outsider.

After only four breaths, Zhong Ji was in dire straits.

On the fifth breath, he spat blood.

The hope that had just flickered in his eyes vanished, replaced by utter despair.

"Enough!"

The next instant, a torrent of starlight erupted from Xu Jin's body.

Earth-star technique: Falling Star!

A small, earth-yellow mountain crashed down, blasting the seventh-rank fourth-layer Prince Zi Yi clan member into a flurry of purple feathers; three golden spears shot forth simultaneously, piercing his body.

One spear shattered his skull.

One down.

At the same moment, Xu Jin flew toward Zhong Ji.

Zhong Ji, already wounded repeatedly, was now at death's door.

Waves of emerald starlight, like lightning, struck him again and again.

Suddenly, one emerald starlight pierced his thigh, spurting a fountain of blood.

Another pierced his abdomen, directly shattering his Cloud Tower, scattering the starlight flickering above his head.

Zhong Ji's aura weakened further.

His gaze grew even more despairing.

The next instant, the emerald starlight intensified—just as Zhong Ji believed he was certain to die, a series of golden spears screamed from afar, shattering the emerald starlight and saving his life.

Zhong Ji turned and saw Xu Jin, who had saved him.

He froze, stunned.

At the same moment, the middle-aged Prince Zi Yi royal also saw the corpse of the Prince Zi Yi clan member Xu Jin had slain—he roared in fury.

"You killed my man? None of you will live today!"

Instantly, the Prince Zi Yi royal transformed into a phantom, attacking both Xu Jin and Zhong Ji at once!

"My lord, surround and kill him!"

Xu Jin roared.

Zhong Ji, having narrowly escaped death, snapped back to awareness, sealed his wounds with starlight, and launched a counterattack.

After two breaths of grappling with the Prince Zi Yi royal's phantom, Xu Jin obliterated it.

Meanwhile, Zhong Ji, locked in battle with the Prince Zi Yi royal's true body, fell back into peril.

Xu Jin's heart stirred.

Wasn't this the perfect moment for the "token of loyalty"?

The next instant, Xu Jin's body erupted in green starlight.

Special star technique: Green Shadow Thousand Weave!

But Xu Jin activated only half its power.

Green shadows erupted beneath the Prince Zi Yi royal's feet, binding his lower body tightly.

Simultaneously, a green shadow, like a venomous snake, slithered into the Prince Zi Yi royal's body, shattering his protective starlight.

At that exact moment, Zhong Ji's crimson starlight surged wildly toward the Prince Zi Yi royal!

Previously, Zhong Ji's crimson starlight had been unable to pierce the Prince Zi Yi royal's protective aura.

But now, the aura had been shattered by Xu Jin.

His lower body was bound by vine-like green shadows.

He was effectively defenseless.

The Blood God Sect's crimson star force slammed into the Prince Zi Yi royal's face, reducing his head to pulp.

The Blood God Cult's crimson star force slammed straight into the face of this Prince Prince Zi Yi royal, reducing his undefended head to pulp!

Zhong Ji himself was stunned.

He had never imagined he could kill this Prince Zi Yi royal.

He never imagined he could obliterate this Prince Prince Zi Yi royal!

"My lord is mighty!"

Xu Jin roared with excitement, "Your leader has been slain by my Lord Zhong! Surrender at once!" He pointed at the falling corpse of the Prince Prince Zi Yi noble and bellowed furiously.

In an instant, the six-rank barbarians locked in battle with several other Blood Cultists all turned their heads toward the falling corpse of the Prince Prince Zi Yi noble!

The moment they saw it, their eyes filled with boundless terror!

The next instant, each one retreated without hesitation!

Their gazes toward Zhong Ji had become utterly terrified!

If Zhong Ji could kill their seven-rank leader, he could effortlessly wipe them all out!

So in an instant, they scattered without a moment's pause!

Yet as they flapped their wings and fled, each one glared fiercely at Zhong Ji's face, as if determined to carve his image into their very souls!

At this moment, Zhong Ji finally realized it!

"Kill!"

"Pursue and kill every last one—leave no survivors!"

In the next instant, Zhong Ji charged forward first, and Xu Jin followed.

But after only a dozen breaths of combat, nine other Blood Hawks had already fallen—two dead, the rest all wounded!

After all, it was eighteen against nine!

It was always two against one!

Just surviving was already a miracle!

These Prince Prince Zi Yi folk moved with incredible speed—even Xu Jin and Zhong Ji chasing after them managed to slay only seven.

Of course, Xu Jin had surely held back!

Had Xu Jin unleashed his full power, not a single Prince Prince Zi Yi would have escaped alive.

Zhong Ji watched the farthest fleeing Prince Prince Zi Yi—already more than fifty li away.

There was no longer any chance to catch and kill them to silence them!

"Brother, come back!"

Zhong Ji called out to Xu Jin, who still wanted to pursue, his face grim and troubled.

Killing one Prince Prince Zi Yi noble—and with so many witnesses—now he was in deep trouble!

"My lord, if we don't pursue, we should retreat immediately!" Xu Jin warned.

"Yes, retreat first!"

In the next instant, Zhong Ji landed and turned toward the feathered beast.

Because Hu Weng's giant bird had long since broken free from the faint illusion and returned to normal.

"Go! If you cause another problem this time, I'll kill you!" Zhong Ji barked. Hu Weng's giant bird surged skyward once more.

"Come, brother, sit beside me—this time, I owe you my life!" Zhong Ji called out warmly.

Hearing this, Xu Jin's heart rejoiced.

This was sharing blood in battle.

A bond had formed!

But most importantly, Zhong Ji had now handed over his token of loyalty!

From now on, unless Zhong Ji was certain he could wipe out every single survivor in one blow, he and they were bound together—each holding the other's secret.

"My lord, it was my duty!"

"I'll rely on your continued protection in the future!" Xu Jin said.

"Ah!"

Zhong Ji sighed, healing his wound with a fourth-rank Star Healing Seal as he spoke: "Those survivors will surely return to Prince Prince Zi Yi City. Whether we escape alive is still uncertain."

Prince Prince Zi Yi City is home to eighth-rank experts.

Their speed is terrifyingly fast!

They may very well catch up to us!"

Zhong Ji's injuries were severe; the fourth-rank Star Healing Seal he used had limited effect. Xu Jin promptly offered a fifth-rank Star Healing Seal: "My lord, try this!"

The instant he took the seal, Zhong Ji's eyes lit up—he immediately activated it.

In an instant, a torrent of life-giving starlight seeped into the gaping wound in Zhong Ji's lower abdomen; his injuries healed at a visibly rapid pace, his aura strengthening noticeably!

"My lord, I just checked—we're a thousand li from Prince Prince Zi Yi City. Even if they return, it'll take time."

"If we push our speed, we can shake them off!" Xu Jin said.

"Mm. Let's hope so."

As he spoke, Zhong Ji tossed out another pouch of Star Cores and ordered the feathered beast: "Fly at full speed!"

"Brother, if we truly escape alive this time, you're my blood brother!"

"My true brother!" Zhong Ji clapped Xu Jin on the shoulder.

(End of Chapter)