Chapter 676: Unexpected Harvest (Combined Chapter, Requesting Monthly Votes)

The Breeding Domain, beneath Ten Thousand Cultivator Peaks.

Xu Jin, Zhu Zhu Shizhen, and their group of four had been quietly waiting for a day and a half.

Cultivators who have reached the ninth rank are naturally patient.

Their purpose in waiting was to see the number of eighth- and ninth-rank Gu beasts on Ten Thousand Cultivator Peak continue to dwindle.

This Gu mother should be governed by some rule, continuously dispatching eighth- and ninth-rank Gu beasts in all directions, with some returning to the peak—but overall, more leave than return.

The number of Gu beasts on Ten Thousand Cultivator Peak is steadily decreasing.

The battle plan had already been set.

Now, they simply waited for the optimal moment to strike.

Originally, they had been extremely close to Ten Thousand Cultivator Peak, but due to the continuous activation of the Gu mother's Dragon Bone Flute, the Gu beasts avoided them from afar.

"Supplement Xu, there's only half a day left until the Vanguard Selection ends," Zhu Zhu Shizhen, the Prince of Yutang, reminded.

"No rush. Keep waiting. Act only when the final hour remains," Xu Jin said.

After more than a day of continuous outflow, the peak still held over eighteen hundred eighth-rank Gu beasts and more than twenty ninth-rank ones.

Under these conditions, if Xu Jin missed his first strike, he would have to flee immediately.

As for the title, it was one of the changes that came with Xu Jin's agreement to become a Supplement of the Yutang Prince's Mansion.

Otherwise, if Prince Zhu Zhu Shizhen kept calling him "Benefactor," it would be impossible to avoid drawing attention beyond the borders.

As for his background, Chang Lin, Wang Ji, and Zhu Zhu Shizhen had already fabricated it for him.

It was flawless.

Xu Jin originated from the Yutang Sect, within the Yutang True Person's domain—the Linked Star Region.

The reason he came from a small world was that, under normal circumstances, tenth-rank or higher cultivators could not enter small worlds.

The Linked Star Region was fully governed by the Yutang True Person's Mansion, possessing celestial authority; even if someone tried to secretly investigate, they would be detected the moment they entered the region.

The Yutang Sect itself was born from the Yutang True Person's Mansion.

With the background fabricated, fifteen minutes after the Vanguard Selection ended, within the Linked Star Region, not only would Xu Jin's existence be perfectly documented, but even his entire life trajectory would appear flawless.

Two hours later, the number of eighth-rank Gu beasts on Ten Thousand Cultivator Peak had decreased by another three hundred.

Suddenly, Xu Jin's eyes snapped open.

"Prepare to act."

"Supplement, shouldn't we wait two more hours? The Gu beasts might be fewer then," Wang Ji spoke up.

"Wait two more hours, and there will be more."

At these words, Wang Ji and Chang Lin both paled. "It's a reflux."

"Yes. One final confirmation: do your best to hold them off. If you can't, leave immediately—especially you, Prince. The Substitute Life Token must not be consumed."

If danger arises, call for help at once.

And you two—helping me draw fire is secondary; your main duty is to respond if the Prince is in peril," Xu Jin instructed.

Xu Jin was now certain that the majority of the Breeding Domain's celestial authority had been seized—certainly over sixty percent.

Otherwise, such strict limitations would be impossible.

Within the Breeding Domain, his own space-star technique could be used, but one-time-use items like Space-Teleportation Seals could not function.

Such restrictions could only originate from the level of celestial authority.

In the next instant, Xu Jin's Nine Heavens Thunder Lord Seal flew into the sky and, under his activation, began gathering thunderclouds.

This was another ability of the Nine Heavens Thunder Lord Seal, rarely used under normal circumstances.

It could continuously accumulate thunderclouds to enhance the power of thunder-star techniques.

The longer it accumulated, the greater the power.

Of course, Xu Jin had tested this before.

The maximum accumulation was fifteen minutes.

It could boost thunder-star technique power by roughly twenty percent.

Unfortunately, all the Gu beasts in the Breeding Domain had low intelligence and were completely unaffected by soul-star techniques.

Otherwise, dealing with them would have been far easier.

Above Ten Thousand Cultivator Peak, rolling thunderclouds gathered from all directions.

Sensing the pressure of the thunderclouds, the Gu mother stirred slightly, and the thousand or so eighth-rank Gu beasts beneath grew restless.

But that was all the reaction they showed.

The Gu mother's intelligence was locked entirely within its Gu crystal, immune to soul-star techniques—and similarly, it did not react preemptively to such threats.

Any other cultivator, seeing this gathering of thunderclouds, would have panicked instantly!

"Ready!"

Xu Jin suddenly turned to Zhu Zhu Shizhen and the other three.

The moment they nodded vigorously, his personal star, Linghuang, blazed brilliantly—and in the next instant, Xu Jin vanished, space rippled, and he reappeared above Ten Thousand Cultivator Peak.

Simultaneously, a point of starlight rose from behind him, coalescing yet unlaunched, while torrents of starlight cascaded from the heavens like a falling river.

The starlight swayed and converged, forming a star-sword!

Wu!

A piercing shriek, sharp enough to rupture eardrums, erupted from the Gu mother below.

It was enraged—Xu Jin had intruded into its territory.

Boom!

Terrifying five-colored lightning rained down instantly, cutting off the Gu mother's shriek, while the Star-Slaying Sword slashed toward it.

Though the shriek was cut short, the remaining thousand or so eighth-rank Gu beasts and the twenty ninth-rank ones, as if hearing a call, all fixed their tiny eyes on Xu Jin—with cold, emotionless malice.

In the next instant, every Gu beast surged upward from all directions, charging at Xu Jin.

The starlight forms of Zhu Zhu Shizhen and the other three arrived just in time; the piercing sound of the Gu mother's Dragon Bone Flute echoed across the entire peak.

Instantly, the Gu beasts froze, stunned.

Under the flute's influence, they scattered in fear, retreating down the mountain.

The lightning and sword-light struck nearly simultaneously; the Gu mother's body erupted in thick starlight, forming a shield as dense as a lake.

At the same moment, on Xu Jin's Can Dou Platform, eight law-stars extended thousands of fine threads of starlight, merging into a single unified whole—maximizing their enhancement of the Star-Slaying Sword.

At the same moment, eight rule stars on Xu Jin's Can Dou platform extended countless strands of starlight like tentacles, uniting the entire platform's rule stars into one whole and maximizing their enhancement of Xu Jin's Killing Sha Sha Xing Jian.

But the lightning struck the Gu mother's protective starlight first.

The protective starlight rippled like deep water, dissolving like snow in boiling broth—but the Gu mother's internal star-force surged like a tide, endlessly replenishing the shield.

Xu Jin's strongest Five Elements Thunder Slash to date had failed to even penetrate.

But Xu Jin was not surprised.

The Star-Slaying Sword's blade continued its descent.

As if reaching a threshold, the Gu mother's protective starlight shattered outright; the sword-light plunged deep into the Gu mother's body, spraying emerald-black flesh, carving a wound twenty to thirty meters deep.

As if reaching some threshold, the Cugu Mother's protective starlight was instantly severed; the blade light plunged deep into her body, spraying emerald-black flesh everywhere and carving a wound twenty to thirty meters deep within her.

This howl carried a kind of magic, driving the retreating Gu beasts to frenzy once more, surging back up the mountain.

Instantly, Zhu Zhu Shizhen and the other three faced immense pressure.

But the power of the Gu mother's Dragon Bone Flute was pushed to its limit—especially when the Gu beasts neared the flute, the effect was strongest.

But the power of the Cugu Mother's Dragon Bone Flute was also pushed to its extreme, especially when the Gu beasts reached near it, where their effects were strongest.

But the Gu beasts were arranged in a ring, and the Dragon Bone Flute could only affect a sector; on the other side, some Gu beasts had already charged toward Xu Jin.

Wang Ji and Chang Lin rushed forward immediately.

In the sky, lightning struck again and again, the Star-Slaying Sword slashed again and again.

Continuously widening the Gu mother's wound.

The massive wound on the Gu mother's surface oozed emerald-black energy, constantly healing yet constantly being torn open again.

The deep crater blasted into its back expanded by over twenty meters with each strike.

Even with the Gu mother's rapid regeneration.

But for a creature a kilometer in size, this was merely skin-deep.

Not even its bones were touched.

"Three breaths!"

Xu Jin roared, the sword-light accelerating.

At this rate, he would kill the Gu mother within three breaths!

If this situation continues, he will slay the Cugu Mother within three breaths!

The wounded Gu mother bellowed, reared its head, and twelve strands of emerald-black mucus shot skyward like venomous dragons, instantly weaving an impossibly dense cage.

With each strand of mucus rising, starlight rained down from above, forming a celestial net of absolute annihilation, trapping Xu Jin at its center.

This sight made Zhu Zhu Shizhen and the others gasp.

Any other cultivator would have been finished by this move alone.

In the next instant, space rippled, and Xu Jin reappeared on the opposite side of Ten Thousand Cultivator Peak.

Simultaneously, lightning and sword-light struck continuously.

The mucus-dragon celestial net descended again, but Xu Jin evaded once more.

In just three breaths, Xu Jin had widened the wound on the Gu mother's back to two hundred meters deep.

In just three breaths, Xu Jin had expanded the wound behind the Gumu to a depth of two hundred meters.

Green-black blood gushed like a breached dam, flooding in all directions from Wangu Peak.

In Xu Jin's eyes, anticipation flickered—he had already sensed the core of the Gu Mother's life rhythm.

He didn't know what it was, but Xu Jin knew: if he slashed, the Gu Mother would die.

One breath!

Just one more breath and it would be done!

Behind him, an eighth-rank Gu beast had charged forward; a flash of pale-white light appeared, and the Bai Hu lunged instantly, tearing apart a string of eighth-rank Gu beasts.

But at that moment, the Gu Mother seemed to sense the threat to her life—suddenly shrieking, a whirlwind of starlight erupted from her massive mouthpart like a tornado.

In an instant, starlight, rocks, and trees beneath Wangu Peak were all sucked backward into the Gu Mother's mouthpart.

But what was sucked in even more were the countless dormant Gu beasts below eighth rank.

In a single pull, tens of thousands were drawn in.

The Gu Mother, as if fed a supreme tonic, began healing her massive back wound at incredible speed.

Xu Jin, stunned, launched his full assault—but still couldn't match the speed of her recovery.

If this continued for just two more breaths, all his efforts would be wasted.

Zhu Zhu Shizhen and the other two, under mounting pressure from the Gu Mother's frenzied screams, faced more and more Gu beasts breaking through their blockade to attack Xu Jin.

Only the Bai Hu's interception prevented Xu Jin from being severely disrupted.

Xu Jin had little time left!

At this rate, there would be no chance to slay the Gu Mother.

Even the killing technique Xu Jin had prepared for her would have no chance to be unleashed.

"Perhaps… I should switch swords!"

In the next instant, as starlight rippled, Xu Jin's Dao Embryo blazed with radiant light, pouring in a torrent of Divine Soul power, then slashed forward.

Seven Kill Sword: Sword of Killing Perception!

The blade's light struck—but left no wound on the Gu Mother.

Yet the Gu Mother seemed to go mad.

Xu Jin knew: he had succeeded.

The Sword of Killing Perception had temporarily severed the Gu Mother's six senses.

Not only did her sticky venom-dragon net attack wildly, but the tornado of suction from her mouthpart lost its target.

It now sucked in only the rocks and trees beneath it, unable to precisely draw in the dormant Gu beasts to replenish itself.

Now was the moment!

The Dao Embryo's eyes locked instantly onto the Nine Heavens Thunder Lord Seal; in an instant, all the stored lightning energy within the seal poured down.

The thunderclouds around vanished empty; even the glow of the Nine Heavens Thunder Lord Seal dimmed slightly.

This was the Nine Heavens Thunder Lord Seal's explosive technique!

At the same moment, the Star-Slaying Sword slashed again.

BOOM!

SHHH!

Beneath the lightning, the stench of burnt flesh rose as the blade's light piled down, starlight slicing like knives!

In an instant, a massive wound, five to six hundred meters deep, was blasted into the Gu Mother's back. At that very moment, Xu Jin's High-Grade Seven Kill Sword Heart and Mingji Star Pattern simultaneously sensed the Gu Mother's core vulnerability—a colossal, heart-like life nucleus.

A vast surge of Divine Soul and spatial fluctuations erupted; a pinpoint of silver light exploded at the Gu Mother's absolute core.

Star-Shatter Technique: Beginner Level!

Inside the Gu Mother, her colossal heart began shattering from the core outward, piece by piece.

The agony of mortal peril drove the Gu Mother to emit a primal, terrified scream from the deepest depths of her life instinct.

At the sound of that scream, every Gu beast went mad, shrieking as they surged through the blockade.

Whether Zhu Zhu Shizhen, Wang Ji, or Chang Lin—all three were utterly ignored by the horde.

At this moment, every Gu beast, under the Gu Mother's frenzied shriek, had only one target in their eyes: Xu Jin!

Almost simultaneously, Xu Jin sensed that the Gu Mother's life core had shattered over half—but because it was so vast, it began healing at astonishing speed.

Seeing the Gu beasts breaking through the blockade and surging toward him from all sides, Xu Jin made a bold decision.

Spatial fluctuations rose; in a flash, Xu Jin appeared at the deepest point of the Gu Mother's wound.

His figure plunged in, wreathed in terrifying lightning.

As the lightning sent the Gu Mother convulsing violently, Xu Jin pointed again.

Star-Shatter!

Void!

He unleashed spatial star techniques in rapid succession.

In the next instant, the Gu Mother's life core, just partially healed, shattered piece by piece—then vanished into nothingness!

The Gu Mother's flesh stiffened instantly; then her life force began vanishing at breakneck speed.

Simultaneously, green blood poured from her body like a flood, cascading down the peak.

Almost at once, over a dozen eighth-rank Gu beasts reached Xu Jin's head; the Heavenly Gang Thunder Chains extended, slaughtering half—when Xu Jin prepared to flee via spatial displacement.

But in the next instant, the frenzied Gu beasts suddenly halted, as if losing their target; they froze for half a breath, then surged wildly toward the Gu Mother's bloody flesh, fighting to devour it.

Even with Xu Jin right before them, they no longer attacked.

As Xu Jin exhaled in relief, the Heaven-Earth Cloud Tower silently returned overhead.

The Heaven-Earth Cloud Tower was Xu Jin's final life-saving measure.

In foreign lands, Xu Jin never revealed his Heaven-Earth Cloud Tower unless absolutely desperate.

"It's done! It's done!"

Zhu Zhu Shizhen's voice rang out in delight, "Xu Gongfeng, quickly take the relics—the Gu Mother is dead. The other Gu beasts will go mad devouring her flesh and give birth to a new Gu Mother."

Xu Jin nodded and moved at once.

Starlight blades materialized, instantly extracting the Gu Mother's Gu Crystal and spinal dragon bone.

These were the tokens for becoming a Dao Heir.

Simultaneously, the Mingji Star Pattern surged to full power, sensing the Gu Mother's corpse—in an instant, it located the womb where the Gu Mother nurtured Gu beasts.

It was a massive object shimmering with six-colored starlight—but with the Gu Mother's death, the six-colored starlight within the womb was rapidly fading, and the womb itself was crystallizing.

But what stunned Xu Jin was that the dissipating six-colored starlight Deqixi carried an eerily familiar resonance.

Star Law Force!

In his mind, thoughts flashed—he immediately understood.

Though controlled by someone behind the scenes, the Gu Mother was the true ruler of this Cultivation Domain; naturally, her body contained the domain's Star Law Force.

This Cultivation Domain was a Mid-World!

Would he just watch the Star Law Force of a Mid-World drain away and return to its origin?

No!

Absolutely not!

The moment he sensed it, Xu Jin unleashed the Can Dou Platform to its full power.

The six primordial stars—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, and Wind—on the Can Dou Platform blazed with starlight.

In the next instant, the Star Law Force that had been draining from the Gu Mother's body was swiftly drawn and absorbed by the Can Dou Platform's primordial stars.

The primordial stars on Xu Jin's Can Dou Platform swelled visibly before his eyes.

Soon after, Xu Jin discovered with delight.

Not only the six primordial stars, but even the Lei Guang and Spatial Law stars were slowly growing stronger.

Xu Jin instantly understood: the Gu Mother did possess these two forces—she simply had far less of them than the others.

At the same moment, in the Eastern Chu Xuan Star Realm, Commander Tian Zhang Tianyang Zhenjun, meditating in his Dao Palace, suddenly opened his eyes, a look of delight flashing across them.

"Within less than a century, another legendary genius has slain a Gu Mother?"

"It seems fate favors the Eastern Chu Xuan Star Realm—century ago, Jiang Yi emerged, soon to become a True Person.

Now, another has appeared!

The tide of fate has finally turned to us, the Eastern Chu Xuan Star Realm."

With this thought, Commander Tian Zhang Tianyang Zhenjun smiled broadly.

As the place where the Eastern Chu Xuan Emperor had attained Dao, the Eastern Chu Xuan Star Realm had seen no new Emperor since his ascension—and even True Persons had grown scarce, leaving it increasingly marginalized among the Emperor's domains.

Now, another legendary genius had emerged.

Commander Tian Zhang Tianyang Zhenjun was overjoyed.

"But now that the Gu Mother is dead, the new Gu Mother must absorb the Star Law Force of the Cultivation Domain—minimum fifteen years before it can begin nurturing Gu beasts."

The next moment, Commander Tian Zhang Tianyang Zhenjun's voice echoed through the Dao Palace: "Issue orders to all Star Realms: the next Selection of the Vanguard will be held in twenty years."

"Your servant obeys."

As the command rang out, orders spread across the Eastern Chu Xuan Star Realm, sparking countless speculations and shocks.

Within the Cultivation Domain, Xu Jin fully activated the Can Dou Platform, absorbing the dissolving Star Law Force from the Gu Mother's body.

For a full quarter-hour, the Star Law Force leaked from the Gu Mother's womb—and Xu Jin absorbed it for a full quarter-hour.

After fifteen minutes, the Gu Mother's womb had transformed into a six-colored crystal the size of a fist, with faint silver starlight swirling at its core.

This was the "primordial material" Zhu Zhu Shizhen had mentioned—one of the finest substances for forging one's Life Spirit Artifact or even Divine Techniques.

This object was recorded in the Star Void Spirit Objects Secret Compendium, named Primordial Crystal Egg—a rare treasure beyond price.

In the next instant, the primordial crystal egg was sealed with multiple layers of seals by Xu Jin and stored in the Numinous Space.

At the same moment, beneath the corpse of the Cultivation Mother, Xu Jin sensed a vast quantity of sand transformed into crystals by stellar energy.

Ten-Thousand Crystal Sand.

It is also one of the spiritual materials for forging one's Life-Spirit Treasure, and quite precious.

But compared to the primordial crystal egg, it was but a drop in the ocean.

One was pricelessly rare; the other was something commonly traded on the market.

But it made up for it in quantity.

The instant the Cultivation Mother's corpse was flung away, starlight surged forth, and Xu Jin gathered the massive amount of Ten-Thousand Crystal Sand into his Numinous Space—enough to weigh over a thousand jin.

On the market, the standard unit for trading Ten-Thousand Crystal Sand is the jin.

This single haul made Xu Jin rich overnight.

In the moment he flew away, Xu Jin's spiritual sense landed upon the jade tablet of the Can Dou Platform.

When he saw the data displayed on the Can Dou Platform's jade tablet, Xu Jin was stunned.

He knew his Can Dou Platform had absorbed a great deal of Star Law Force during this battle and had improved significantly, but he hadn't expected the growth to far exceed his expectations.

【Fire Primordial: Initial Stage (4)】 【Earth Primordial: Initial Stage (6)】

【Water Primordial: Initial Stage (3)】 【Wind Primordial: Initial Stage (3)】

【Wood Primordial: Initial Stage (3)】 【Metal Primordial: Initial Stage (1)】

【Thunder Law: Ninth Stage (97)】 【Space Law: Second Stage (19)】

Among these, the greatest increases were in the Primordial Star Nodes.

Nearly all had grown by about fifty percent.

For example, Water Primordial had been at Initial Stage 2 before, and now it was at Initial Stage 3.

Though it rose by only one level, the growth rate reached fifty percent.

Recall that Xu Jin had trained for nearly half a year on the Star River Islet, during which the Can Dou Platform continuously absorbed stray primordial laws from the Star River to strengthen itself.

Over half a year, the Primordial Star Nodes might have increased by only one level.

Some hadn't increased at all!

Now, in just fifteen minutes, he had gained more than what he had accumulated over half a year on the Star River Islet.

Worth it!

Extremely worth it!

The greatest gain, however, was the Space Law Star Node.

It had doubled and tripled in power.

Of course, this was because the Space Law Star Node had been weak to begin with—previously at First Stage, now it was nearly reaching the peak of Second Stage and on the verge of breaking into Third.

The only regret was the Thunder Law Star Node: though it had improved, it had not yet reached its limit, and thus had not crossed the threshold to transform into a World Primordial Law.

If the Thunder Law Star Node could reach its limit, Xu Jin's Thunder Law Star Node would transform into a World Primordial Star.

Not only would the power of his Thunder Star Techniques increase by one or two tenths, but his comprehension of Thunder Star Glyphs would also improve further.

Suddenly, Xu Jin realized the method to rapidly strengthen the Can Dou Platform's primordial law star nodes.

But for now, he could only think about it.

The Middle World and the Small World were entirely different.

A normal Middle World had at least a Great Tianyang Xingjun stationed there, sometimes even a True Person.

Its stellar law energy was not something Xu Jin could simply take as he pleased.

Moreover, acquiring the Heavenly Authority of a Middle World was extraordinarily difficult!

Xu Jin had acquired hundreds of Small World Heavenly Authorities within the Kunling Domain.

Yet after years of arduous effort, he had barely managed to claim the Heavenly Authority of the Kunling Domain itself.

This was only possible because the Kunling Domain was exceptional—if even a single Tianyang Xingjun had been present, all Xu Jin's ambitions would have been crushed.

It could only be described as a rare, unrepeatable stroke of fortune!

This reminded Xu Jin of the three alien beings he had captured during his Black Tower Trial, each skilled in Space Star Techniques.

Once things settled down, he could visit the Small Worlds in their home star domains and gather more Space Law to strengthen his Space Law Star Node and boost his overall power.

When Xu Jin left the Ten-Thousand Cultivation Peak, Zhu Zhu Shizhen, Chang Lin, and Wang Ji all looked at him with growing admiration—even the eyes of the esteemed Wang Tang, a Prince of the Blood, shone with reverence.

The Cultivation Mother was a Tenth-Stage lifeform, even if the weakest Tenth-Stage Small Tianyang Xingjun, and one with little intelligence.

But Tenth-Stage was still Tenth-Stage, and its size alone was formidable.

Frankly speaking, if this Tenth-Stage Cultivation Mother stood before them motionless, allowing them to attack without resistance, even all three of them combined could not pierce its protective starlight.

They had the self-awareness to know this.

The Cultivation Mother's strength was evident.

Yet Xu Jin had slain it—and theoretically, the killing took no more than ten breaths.

And more crucially, Xu Jin was only at the beginning of Eighth Stage!

In an instant, Prince Zhu Zhu Shizhen realized he had discovered an extraordinary genius of staggering potential.

In an instant, Prince Zhu Zhu Shizhen realized he had discovered an extraordinary genius of astonishing potential.

A supreme master who could obliterate him in an instant.

He was already a thigh to cling to.

With a little more growth, he would become a super-thigh.

Cling to a thigh while you still can!

"Your Reverence has worked hard—Your Reverence is mighty!"

Instantly, led by Prince Zhu Zhu Shizhen, Wang Ji and Chang Lin also showered him with flattery.

But this was not mere sycophancy!

It was genuine awe!

Reverence and fear intertwined.

As for Prince Zhu Zhu Shizhen, he had already made up his mind within his heart.

Such a thigh must become family—only then could he feel secure.

Upon returning, he must introduce his elder sister to this super-thigh at once.

What's closer than a brother-in-law to a thigh?

In fact, Zhu Zhu Shizhen had already devised many strategies.

A brother-in-law who could satisfy him and serve as his thigh was exceedingly rare!

Moments after Xu Jin handed over the Cultivation Mother's crystal and dragon bones to Prince Zhu Zhu Shizhen, the entire Cultivation Domain trembled violently.

"Your Reverence, the Selection is ending!"

"Remember my status."

"At once."

The moment Zhu Zhu Shizhen's voice sounded, boundless spatial power surged, and Xu Jin and the other two vanished from the spot.

The moment Zhu Zhu Shizhen's voice sounded, boundless spatial force surged, and Xu Jin and the other two vanished from where they stood.

(End of chapter)