Chapter 91: The Depths

The long blade swept up and down, one Star Demon after another falling.

For the Second Tier ones, Jiang Changkong extracted them; for the First Tier, they were useless and couldn’t be extracted at all.

Having attracted so many Star Demons, he naturally had to kill them.

With the Object Control Technique, although it didn’t perfectly complement the Three Blades Without Trace, his speed in killing Star Demons had increased.

As he practiced, he realized that while the Object Control Technique was useful, it also had limitations.

Because his own improvement was insufficient, it worked well with the Three Blades Without Trace when his Star Power was abundant.

But once his Star Power was heavily depleted, his mastery of the Three Blades Without Trace would weaken further, leaving injuries when killing and lacking in power.

Still, for him at this stage, it was sufficient.

From now on, he could wield the blade without using his hands, controlling it solely with Star Power.

Another day of slaughter passed, and it wasn’t until evening that Jiang Changkong stopped.

Not because there were no more Star Demons, but because there were too many, and he was tired of killing them, too lazy to continue.

His “Essence, Qi, and Spirit” had increased slightly again.

Jiang Changkong: Star Sea Peak

Low-grade Superior Martial Arts:

Bronze Skin Iron Bone Technique: Perfected 128,000/128,000

Tai Chi Fist Scripture: Perfected 128,000/128,000

Three Blades Without Trace: Perfected 1/128,000

Blazing Fire Technique: Perfected 1/128,000

Low-Grade Mid-Tier Martial Arts:

Object Control Technique: Perfected 1/64,000

“Essence, Qi, and Spirit”: 5,103.7

Breathing slightly heavily, Jiang Changkong found a spot to sit down.

Just as he was about to rest, the sound of hurried footsteps and faint conversation reached his ears.

About three hundred meters away, over a dozen people.

From his heightened senses, it seemed these people were heading in his direction.

Could it be Liu Feng and the others?

Puzzled, Jiang Changkong stood up and waited for the group to arrive.

Three hundred meters was a short distance, taking only a few breaths. The weeds rustled, and over a dozen people pushing a cart appeared before him.

“Jiang Changkong?”

A man with half-gray hair stepped out from the crowd, looking at him in pleasant surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s Liang Zhe, Brother Liang! I came out of the city to kill Star Demons,” Jiang Changkong said with a smile as he walked forward.

“Don’t call me Brother Liang. I’m just leading a team to hunt Star Demons, trying to make a living.

If you think highly of me, just call me Old Brother.”

Liang Zhe laughed.

“Alright then, Old Brother Liang.”

Jiang Changkong didn’t stand on ceremony, his gaze drifting toward the cart, which was tightly covered with cloth and bound with ropes.

Curious, he asked, “Where are you all heading, traveling so late at night?”

“We’re going to see Commander Cheng. Some folks in the army want to eat something better—they’re tired of Star Demon meat every day.”

As Liang Zhe spoke, he couldn’t hide the smile on his face.

In the past, He Long had competed with him, and with Zhao Qianjun’s connections,

anything the army needed usually didn’t fall to him.

Now that He Long was dead, his was the only demon-hunting team left, so the army naturally turned to him first for their needs.

Moreover, with the recent division of assets, they were all considered part of the same faction.

Jiang Changkong understood. The army was stationed out here year-round.

The Star Desolate Grasslands had nothing but Star Demons and weeds. Ordinary soldiers could endure it, but the officers couldn’t.

“Congratulations then, Old Brother Liang. You must be making quite a profit this time,” Jiang Changkong said with a smile.

Those officers weren’t short on money and would surely offer a good price.

After chatting for a bit, Liang Zhe pulled him aside and introduced him to the others.

They were all part of Liang Zhe’s team, including his son Liang Fei, who was at the Early Star Sea Stage and thirty years old.

“Brother, the Star Demons around here aren’t particularly strong. Why not come with us to the army’s side?”

Liang Zhe whispered, “With your strength, Brother, obtaining some third-tier Star Stones shouldn’t be a problem.”

Jiang Changkong pondered briefly. “I was thinking the same.”

First and second-tier Star Stones were of little use. The army was generally stationed deep within, where there were plenty of Star Sea Star Demons.

Since he needed Essence, he naturally had to head deeper. He could treat it as a period of seclusion.

Agreeing, the group set off together.

Liang Zhe was very enthusiastic—they were essentially a group bound by shared interests.

Moreover, with an expert like Jiang Changkong along the way, things would be much easier.

Jiang Changkong traveled with Liang Zhe and his companions, heading toward the depths of the Star Desolate Grasslands.

Along the way, they didn’t encounter any particularly powerful Star Demons. Occasionally, they came across small groups of Star Demons, but they were only first or second-tier.

Jiang Changkong tossed all the first-tier Star Stones to them, not bothering to carry them.

Although he now had two pieces of Spatial Equipment, it wasn’t the right time to take them out.

He didn’t care for these Star Stones anyway. He planned to save the space for other things, like third-tier Star Stones.

After two days of continuous travel, at noon that day, the group finally arrived at the army’s encampment.

A wall built from massive stones stood three meters high.

Inside the wall were rows of stone houses.

Jiang Changkong observed carefully—both the wall and the stone houses emitted fluctuations of Star Power.

The defenses here were formidable; he wasn’t confident he could break through.

Cheng Huai was still out hunting Star Demons, and the commander of ten thousand wasn’t present either. Only a commander of a hundred was there to receive them.

“Honored Jiang, Captain Liang,” the commander of a hundred greeted them with a smile, opening a black cloth to reveal fresh green vegetables and some wooden buckets.

The buckets contained fish, still alive in water.

“Thank you for your trouble, Commander Zhang,” Liang Zhe said politely.

“Not at all. Commander Cheng originally intended to come himself, but he’s too busy with affairs and could only send me,” Commander Zhang replied with a smile. “Please come inside. I’ve already prepared a feast.”

“Commander, please lead the way,” Liang Zhe quickly responded.

“Honored Jiang, is there anything you’d like to eat? I can add more dishes,” Commander Zhang asked.

“No need to trouble yourself, Commander. Anything simple will do. I’d like to go hunt some Star Demons as soon as possible,” Jiang Changkong said.

“Would you like to take a squad of soldiers with you? Or join us?” Commander Zhang inquired.

“No need. I’m used to working alone,” Jiang Changkong shook his head. Only by being alone could he fully unleash his strength; having others around would only hold him back.

“Very well. After the meal, I’ll provide you with some information about the surrounding area,” Commander Zhang said with a smile. “By the way, the principal of the Martial Arts School is also nearby with his people. Would you like to visit them?”

“Just let me know the location. My target is the Star Sea Star Demons,” Jiang Changkong replied.

“Alright, let’s eat first,” Commander Zhang ushered them into a stone house where a feast was already prepared.

Since he planned to hunt Star Demons afterward, Jiang Changkong didn’t drink much.

Liang Zhe also had tasks to attend to and only drank a little.

Commander Zhang didn’t press them to drink—getting drunk in the Star Desolate Grasslands would make hunting Star Demons impossible.

After the meal, Jiang Changkong obtained the information, took some water and dry rations from the camp, politely declined Liang Zhe’s invitation, and set off alone.

Leaving the military camp, Jiang Changkong quickened his pace, heading straight for the depths of the Star Desolate Grasslands.

No Star Demons were visible near the camp.

Half an hour later, Jiang Changkong finally spotted a Star Demon—a Star Cloud Level one.

He killed it casually, extracted its Essence, and continued on his way.

“It seems Star Sea Star Demons aren’t everywhere here either.”

Jiang Changkong traveled for another quarter of an hour and encountered a group of Star Demons, but none were at the Star Sea Level.

Could it be that he needed to venture deeper?

He wanted to find Star Sea Level Star Demons everywhere, as that would allow him to improve rapidly.

Holding his long blade, Jiang Changkong no longer paid attention to the time and pressed forward with his head down.

He didn’t know how long he had walked, but by the time it was nearly evening, he finally spotted a Star Sea Star Demon.

An Early Star Sea Stage Star Demon, leading seven or eight Nebula-level Star Demons. Here, Star Qi Level Star Demons were rare.

With the Object Control Technique, the long blade swept through the air as if wielded by an invisible hand, dancing among the Star Demons and harvesting their lives.