[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-star-martial-era":3,"chapter-the-star-martial-era-the-star-martial-era-chapter-998":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Star Martial Era",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2275856,4448,"Chapter 998: The New Function of the Void Abyss (Requesting Monthly Votes)","the-star-martial-era-chapter-998",998,"\u003Cp>Within the Chaos Abyss Domain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhenjun Duling stared at Xu Jin with terrified expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never in his wildest dreams imagined that in the mere instant of meeting, he, a full-limit Tenth-Cycle True Person, had been captured alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The key was, if captured by some Emperor, he would have accepted it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the one standing before him was merely a Second-Cycle True Person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet being captured by a Second-Cycle True Person? He found it hard to believe—he was more convinced that some Emperor had hidden in the shadows and used a divine technique to subdue and seize him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though divine techniques were unpredictable, effortlessly capturing a full-limit Tenth-Cycle True Person was no feat any ordinary Minor-Forbidden Emperor could accomplish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the spatial aura here was utterly alien—definitely not the Star Ruins Islands he knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, it was highly likely this was a space domain personally created by an Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the cultivation world, anyone who could forge their own domain was among the supreme elites.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The one who captured me must be at least a Minor-Forbidden Emperor—possibly even a Major-Forbidden Emperor! But what is their purpose?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re Zhenjun Duling, right? I won’t waste time. Do you want to live—or die?” Xu Jin cut straight to the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This one was merely his first step in expansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, if this one refused to cooperate, he’d simply find another target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhenjun Duling scanned Xu Jin up and down, then sneered, “Who exactly are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You ask if I want to live or die?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you trying to control me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Or do you want me to do something for you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One who had cultivated to this level possessed not merely maturity, but a mind forged through countless trials—under such circumstances, he would not panic or lose his composure; instead, he remained utterly rational.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Simple. Want to live? Open your soul essence to me. Want to die? I’ll send you on your way.” Xu Jin didn’t mince words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Zhenjun Duling studied Xu Jin again and said, “I want to live—but you’re not qualified.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Have your emperor come out from behind and speak with me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not qualified?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this man saying he wasn’t important enough?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coldness flickered in his eyes—he was about to release his restraint and let Zhenjun Duling see the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But suddenly, an idea struck him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His strength was more than sufficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to his Master, he already possessed the combat power to challenge a Minor-Forbidden Emperor; but in Xu Jin’s view, if he unleashed his full power and added a few clever tricks, he could handle not just Minor-Forbidden Emperors, but even Major-Forbidden Emperors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But being able to fight and having actual deterrence were two different things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why do fortune-telling fraudsters always appear ethereal and ancient, their age making people more likely to believe they’re sages?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why do young men pretending to be high officials get no respect, yet those pretending to be second-generation heirs are believed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Similarly, no matter how powerful Xu Jin’s combat ability, his outward cultivation aura remained this low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if a cat possessed the strength of a tiger, the first thing people would want to do upon seeing it was pet it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if a tiger weakened itself to appear only as strong as a cat, the first reaction people would have upon seeing it was always fear and awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The principle of “respect the robe before respecting the man” holds true everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, what Xu Jin was pulling out now wasn’t just a robe—it was a truly terrifying existence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This approach might make my plan succeed more easily and reduce many potential complications.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he decided, Xu Jin immediately contacted Kongyuan Emperor through the link between the Chaos Abyss Domain and Kongyuan Emperor’s domain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already prepared his words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the domain, Kongyuan Emperor frowned slightly as he observed the seven other Emperors seated around him in all directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperors were all capable of enduring solitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the feeling of being trapped in a prison was truly unpleasant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now sealed within this domain, it was no different from imprisonment—if not for fear of Dongxuan Emperor tracking him down and believing time might reduce the danger, Kongyuan Emperor would have already tried breaking the seal by force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Kongyuan Emperor received Xu Jin’s mental message, and his brow furrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jin asked him to briefly reveal the aura of a Major-Forbidden Peak Spatial Emperor—Xu Jin had now fled to the Qingyu War Zone, but lacked an identity, so he needed Kongyuan Emperor’s aura to help him gain legitimacy and a place to hide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just this request made Kongyuan Emperor feel the direness of Xu Jin’s current situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then again, it made sense—a Yuexing Jun being hunted by Dongxuan Emperor, a being of such stature, tracking him by residual aura—any degree of suffering was possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the pursuit Xu Jin faced wasn’t just from Dongxuan Emperor alone, but from Dongxuan Emperor and the entire Tongxuan War Zone—the pressure was unimaginable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, surviving such a pursuit, Xu Jin was already outstanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fled to the Qingyu War Zone?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then used the aura of a Major-Forbidden Peak Spatial Emperor to gain temporary safety?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That could work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Across the entire Star Ruins War Zone, the deterrence of a Major-Forbidden Peak Emperor was supreme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just True Persons—even Minor-Forbidden Emperors would be intimidated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be targeted by a Major-Forbidden Peak Spatial Emperor? One might die without ever knowing why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The feasibility was extremely high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kongyuan Emperor felt he and Xu Jin were now on the same boat—he could help with this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Xu Jin’s deliberate control of the Chaos Abyss Domain, Kongyuan Emperor’s Major-Forbidden Peak Spatial Emperor aura surged forth, instantly enveloping Zhenjun Duling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment it reached out, Kongyuan Emperor sensed Xu Jin’s cultivation aura shift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True Person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a Second-Cycle True Person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kid’s cultivation was rising fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he was startled, Kongyuan Emperor was about to seize this rare opportunity to probe the true nature of Xu Jin’s Chaos Abyss Domain—when a torrent of chaotic starlight surged from the domain’s edge, severing his aura completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This kid is too cautious,” Kongyuan Emperor frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His original intent in agreeing was precisely to use this chance to investigate and perhaps plant a hidden maneuver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this kid was too cunning—his aura had barely touched the full-limit True Person for less than a breath before being cut off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, his entire probing aura had been wrapped and shielded by chaotic starlight, leaving him no chance whatsoever to act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, if it were any other type of starlight, he could have paid a price and found multiple ways to slip through unseen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But under chaotic starlight, none of his divine-nature techniques could bypass the barrier without detection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chaotic starlight—he was deeply curious about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How had Xu Jin cultivated it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Kongyuan Emperor was about to speak further, Xu Jin uttered only two words—then his aura vanished entirely from the domain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It left Kongyuan Emperor helplessly frustrated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like he’d been used and discarded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Annoying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But also helpless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trapped within the domain, he couldn’t study the forbidden domain’s source flow, nor could he cultivate starlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he tried to cultivate starlight now, he’d only be absorbing energy from his own domain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His domain was strong—but absolutely insufficient to sustain an Emperor’s cultivation consumption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the heavenly treasures and rare alchemical materials stored in his Nirmāṇakāya space, he couldn’t use them either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he depleted them, what would he use in an emergency?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With no external income, relying on stored supplies gave him the feeling of eating away his mountain of reserves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no choice but to study and contemplate spatial rules, Dao arts, and various secret techniques and applications.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was now the only thing he and the other Emperors could do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You know what? Back when he was the Grand Marshal of Tongxuan War Zone, he was too busy—too many tasks, countless things to do, and he could only pick and choose what he wanted to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To have the peace to focus on study and contemplation? Almost impossible before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, he had nothing else to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this focus, he’d already gained some progress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other seven Emperors were in the same situation—only their results varied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But progress had been made.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the Chaos Abyss Domain, Zhenjun Duling, the Warden of Qingxu Star Island, turned ashen-faced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During those few breaths (Xu Jin had used time acceleration) when the Emperor’s aura enveloped him, he had faintly sensed an absolute sense of death and helplessness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The aura of a Major-Forbidden Peak Spatial Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The being behind this one was truly a Major-Forbidden Peak Spatial Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most terrifying existence beneath an Emperor Sovereign in the entire Star Ruins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder a full-limit Tenth-Cycle True Person had offered zero resistance before being dragged here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder such a mysterious domain existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, he made his decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Submit!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the threat of a Grand Prohibition Peak Space Sovereign, across the entire Qingyu War Zone, only their Grand Prohibition Peak commander or the Qingyu Emperor Sovereign could possibly protect him fully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But could these two protect him for long?\u003C\u002Fp>",1541,"2026-06-19T23:56:35.933Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","665cdf8dd58eab938fe3ad97649be15603fd7e57d79bc2408ec644cb0002fb20","the-star-martial-era-chapter-999","the-star-martial-era-chapter-997",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-star-martial-era-cover.jpg"]