Chapter 566: I Picked Him Up

At the 17th Passage on the Eight Wilderness Front, over a thousand meters away, the human army on the opposite side had already formed battle lines upon spotting Xu Jin, glaring at him with murderous intent across the passage.

Should Xu Jin charge forward, they would strike without hesitation the instant he moved.

They were human—but not necessarily allies.

The infamous Blood God Cult lay just across on the Eight Wilderness Continent.

Xu Jin waited quietly, awaiting orders from the State Tutor.

The strongest among them was merely a Seventh-Realm Ninth Layer commander; most were Sixth and Fifth Realm.

If he forced his way through, he could still make it.

But then his status would become awkward.

Regardless of reason, charging a military formation during wartime was a grave offense.

Moreover, Xu Jin had his own thoughts about returning.

He intended to return openly, with a respectable identity to show.

Not just one recognized within Chen Guo—but one respected by the current human race and on the Star River Battlefield.

He no longer wished to be perpetually wary, cautious, and hidden.

About a hundred breaths after receiving the State Tutor Cheng Cheng Yuexiao's reply, Ba Ba Tongjian, the Grand Marquis of Great Chu guarding the 17th Passage, suddenly frowned upon receiving a starlight message, turning his gaze toward Xu Jin outside the passage.

The starlight message came from his superior, Lü Xiang, Commander of Great Chu's War Zone.

"Are you Xu Jin of the Chen Guo State Academy?" Ba Ba Tongjian called across the passage.

"Indeed." Xu Jin stepped forward to answer.

"Display your Star-Picking Token, then project your identity." Ba Ba Tongjian ordered.

Xu Jin complied, retrieving the Star-Picking Token, activating it, and projecting its stored identity data.

【Chen Guo State Academy】

【Vice Academic Director Xu Jin】

Seeing this, Ba Ba Tongjian's expression turned solemn.

Vice Academic Director of the Chen Guo State Academy—that was a prestigious status.

With identity confirmed and orders from his superior, he had no choice but to grant passage.

"Stand down."

At Ba Ba Tongjian's command, the battle formation dissolved; the thousand-man square slowly retreated and dispersed, swords sheathed, starlight dimmed, then they gestured for him to pass.

Xu Jin likewise extinguished his starlight and dispersed the Fish Curtain Golden Bell, stepping slowly into the passage.

This frontline passage was a land corridor formed by the collision and fusion of the Eight Wilderness Continent and the Star River Battlefield.

Since both continents were irregular and permeated by star-field forces, only the fully merged land corridors could be traversed; all unconnected areas were blocked by omnipresent star-field forces, impassable except to those who could breach them.

Nearly a hundred such land corridors had formed, ranging from finger-width narrow to over a thousand meters wide.

All had since been fortified by the Star River Battlefield side, garrisoned with heavy troops and arrayed with defensive formations.

The 17th Passage, one hundred meters wide, was guarded by the Great Chu Army of the Star River Battlefield.

As Xu Jin stepped in, the elite soldiers of Great Chu stared at him with intense curiosity—including Vice Commander Ba Ba Tongjian.

Those who returned from the Eight Wilderness Continent were surely the most skilled and courageous scouts, sent to gather intelligence on the Eight Wilderness barbarians.

Many had been dispatched these past days, but few had returned.

Though curious, Ba Ba Tongjian dared not ask further.

Surviving scouts almost always carried vital military intelligence—not necessarily information he was cleared to hear.

The Great Chu soldiers watched as Xu Jin entered the fortress of the 17th Passage, just barely crossing the defensive line.

Xu Jin was about to leave when Ba Ba Tongjian stopped him: "Wait. Per frontline orders, returning scouts must be retrieved only by senior officers in person. You know the protocol, correct?"

Xu Jin's expression flickered slightly—he now understood why the State Tutor had insisted on coming himself.

Ba Ba Tongjian, thinking Xu Jin was displeased, added: "Vice Academic Director Xu, please forgive me—this is military order. I hope you understand."

"Understood."

Xu Jin waited beside the main gate of the garrison camp, under the distant gaze of ten thousand Great Chu soldiers, awaiting the State Tutor's arrival.

The State Tutor said he'd arrive in fifteen minutes—he should be here soon.

Suddenly, a starship shot across the horizon at high speed.

Xu Jin's eyes flickered—it wasn't the State Tutor; if he were coming, he'd fly faster than any starship.

Yet Ba Ba Tongjian's face paled at the sight; other mid-level officers tensed, hastily checking their comrades' uniforms and rapidly inspecting defensive equipment.

"It's Elder Sun's starship from the Star Palace Enforcement Team—he's strict," Ba Ba Tongjian told Xu Jin, then instinctively straightened his own uniform.

Xu Jin watched this and shook his head.

In his past life, there was a saying: whenever a new boss focuses on cleanliness or punctuality, he's incompetent.

By that standard, this Star Palace Enforcement Team wasn't impressive at all.

A few breaths later, the starship landed.

A group of twenty men in black Star Palace uniforms descended.

Leading them was a middle-aged man at the early Eighth Realm—likely Elder Sun himself.

Two Seventh Realm, four Sixth Realm, the rest Fifth Realm.

Suddenly, Xu Jin wondered: did this Enforcement Elder Sun have any relation to Sun Sun Xianzu, the Great Elder of the Star Palace he had slain?

As the Enforcement Team landed, the entire camp fell into deadly silence.

But in an instant, Elder Sun's gaze locked onto Xu Jin, frowning: "Who is this? Why isn't he in uniform? And—?"

"Elder Sun, this is a scout returning from Chen Guo, Vice Academic Director Xu Jin of the Chen Guo State Academy. I received Commander Lü's orders and verified his identity," Ba Ba Tongjian replied.

Sun Ling gave a slight nod.

Orders plus identity verification were standard—but he still asked: "How did you verify his identity?"

"By the Star-Picking Token," Ba Ba Tongjian answered.

At this, Sun Ling frowned sharply: "Incorrect. Two procedures are missing. Why wasn't the Nirmāṇakāya space checked? Why wasn't the soul checked for control?"

Ba Ba Tongjian's face flushed with embarrassment: "Elder, these checks apply only to highly suspicious individuals or those unable to prove identity.

This Xu Jin has Commander Lü's—"

"Insolent! If a spy infiltrates during wartime, who bears responsibility?" Sun Ling roared.

"Now! Immediately! Conduct the checks!"

Ba Ba Tongjian was stunned. Xu Jin was stunned too.

Normally, directly checking the soul and Nirmāṇakāya space was far more invasive than stripping naked—it violated dignity and privacy utterly.

If there were grounds for suspicion, fine—but without cause, it was deliberate harassment or humiliation.

Beside him, Sun Ling had already sent an urgent message to the Tianyang Xingjun of the Star Palace.

Just now, he remembered something.

The Vice Academic Director Xu Jin of the Chen Guo State Academy was someone the Tianyang Xingjun had specifically mentioned—any sighting must be reported.

The Star Palace had been investigating him for some time, but found nothing.

Now that he suddenly returned from the Eight Wilderness Continent, this was the perfect chance to investigate.

Ba Ba Tongjian, rebuked by Enforcement Elder Sun, grimaced and said to Xu Jin: "Vice Academic Director Xu, please forgive me—the Elder's order must be obeyed!

Release your soul and reveal your Nirmāṇakāya mark—I must scan them with my spiritual sense!"

"Elder Sun, why? Can I take this as deliberate harassment?" Xu Jin didn't blame Ba Ba Tongjian—these dedicated soldiers deserved respect.

But this Elder Sun? He was infuriating.

Honestly, he'd only returned to the Star River Battlefield because it was human territory.

Had he been on the Eight Wilderness Continent, he'd have blasted him to dust already.

An early Eighth Realm dared to challenge him?

"Harassment?"

Sun Ling sneered. "You're not even worthy."

Though he'd heard of Xu Jin's battle records, most feats of killing across realms were exaggerated rumors—wildly distorted with retelling. He'd seen too many.

"Guarding the passage and checking for spies is our duty!

Cooperate—or we have strong reason to suspect you're a spy controlled by barbarians!" Sun Ling barked.

"Oh? You suspect I'm a spy?" Xu Jin asked, surprised.

"Not just you—every returning scout must be thoroughly checked. If a spy infiltrates and ruins the human cause, who takes responsibility?" Sun Ling spoke with righteous indignation.

"Release your soul for inspection—or you're a spy trying to infiltrate!" Sun Ling's aura turned icy.

Just then, he received the Tianyang Xingjun's reply.

【Hold Xu Jin. I'm coming.】

"What if I prove I'm not a spy?" Xu Jin said to Sun Ling.

"Prove it? How?

What proof do you have?" Sun Ling was baffled.

"Then watch," Xu Jin smiled at Sun Ling.

Almost simultaneously, a faint but unmistakable Eighth Realm Late-stage barbarian aura erupted from Xu Jin's palm.

Amidst radiant light, a towering barbarian figure suddenly materialized!

At that same instant, sensing the faint Eighth Realm Late-stage barbarian aura, Sun Ling's expression turned razor-sharp.

He saw the corpse of an Eighth Realm Late-stage barbarian with golden horns, emerging from within Xu Jin's body.

He screamed and roared in terror, stumbling backward on the spot.

"Attack!"

"Alien spy! Eighth-rank late stage!"

"Sound the alarm immediately!" As Sun Ling barked, starlight shimmered around him, ready to strike.

But at that same moment, Ba Ba Tongjian stepped in front of Sun Ling, looking embarrassed. "Elder Sun, that corpse is an eighth-rank alien!"

Shhh!

A piercing whistle pierced the air, and a brilliant three-colored alarm signal exploded skyward.

It was one of Sun Ling's sixth-rank disciples, who, at his shout, had immediately triggered the alarm.

The alarm exploded, but Sun Ling froze in place.

Just now, he had clearly seen an eighth-rank late-stage Jin Zhu clan alien with a single horn flying out.

How had it turned into a headless alien corpse?

He had been terrified by a headless alien corpse.

In an instant, Sun Ling was utterly humiliated.

Ba Ba Tongjian was equally humiliated.

If not for his status, he wouldn't even want to acknowledge Elder Sun right now.

So embarrassing!

Scared half to death by a headless alien corpse!

Are Star Palace elders really this weak?

Xu Jin, watching the alarm explode in the sky, was also taken aback.

He had only meant to scare Elder Sun with an illusion, to make him look foolish—but this fool had panicked and triggered the alarm!

But it didn't matter—perfect!

Calm now, Sun Ling stared at the eighth-rank alien corpse suspended low in the air by Xu Jin's star force, furious and enraged.

What a disgrace.

"Where did you get this eighth-rank alien corpse?" Sun Ling demanded.

"Where did I get it? Elder Sun, are you asking if I picked it up?" Xu Jin retorted.

"If you didn't pick it up, did you kill it?

Don't brag where it doesn't belong!" Sun Ling sneered.

He believed "picked it up."

But "killed it"? He'd never believe that, not even if he died.

"Since Elder Sun says I picked it up, then I picked it up! But I've picked up quite a few alien corpses!" Xu Jin smiled.

"What do you mean?" Sun Ling was confused—he felt Xu Jin was babbling nonsense.

"Nothing much, Elder Sun, just watch!"

In the next instant, another eighth-rank alien corpse flew from Xu Jin's hand and was suspended low in the air by star force.

"Your luck—"

In the next breath, Sun Ling's voice cut off abruptly.

Because a third eighth-rank alien corpse had already been hung in the sky by Xu Jin.

But the horrifying part was the fourth.

The fifth!

The sixth.

(End of Chapter)