Chapter 125: Verified With His Life

“Brother Lin.” Chu Yunhe’s expression changed, inwardly relieved that it wasn’t him going up.

Is this something an early-stage Star Vault cultivator can handle? This guy is stronger than Lin Jie, who just recently reached the mid-stage.

“Don’t worry.”

Lin Jie said confidently, “This explosive power is indeed terrifying. If it erupted suddenly during battle, I might get injured if I let my guard down.

But now, he forced this burst to give his people some confidence. Not only is it unsustainable, it also shows his own lack of confidence.”

“He burst too early,” said the person beside Nantian Wang.

Mu Jinhong checked the time and shouted sternly, “Seven o’clock has arrived. Begin, everyone step back.”

If it were before, everyone would have thought it was a one-sided battle that could be controlled and would end quickly, so they could watch up close.

But now, it likely won’t end in a short time and will have a wide impact, so naturally they had to step back.

Everyone retreated, but Jiang Changkong was in no hurry to act.

Lin Jie naturally wasn’t in a rush either. Using a secret technique to burst? Let’s see how long you can last.

The longer it dragged on, the more advantageous it was for him.

After everyone had fully retreated, the long blade hovered in the air. The sunset glow was like fire, crimson as blood.

“One Blade, Sunset.”

With tenfold Star Power, holding nothing back, Jiang Changkong’s Sunset Blade slashed down.

Boom

A crimson blade radiance, terrifying Star Power fluctuations—the entire training ground was covered in sunset glow.

“Boundless Ocean!”

Lin Jie shouted coldly. An azure sword light shot straight into the sky. Without any trickery, he chose a head-on clash.

Boom

Blade and sword collided. Blade Qi and sword energy swept out in all directions.

The ground cracked, dust flew, crimson and azure intertwined.

Amid the surging Star Power, the long blade spun back. Lin Jie’s body retreated several steps.

“Kill.”

Jiang Changkong gripped the hilt, his figure instantly vanishing.

“How long can a desperate burst last?”

With a cold snort, Lin Jie twisted his sword tip. Azure sword light tore through the air, splitting the raging Star Power.

Clang

Blade and sword collided. The four Power Runes in Jiang Changkong’s body vibrated simultaneously, adding another layer of power.

“Hmm?”

Lin Jie frowned, his body sinking, nearly overwhelmed by the immense force. Star Power within him surged out urgently.

With a loud crash, blade and sword separated. The two moved at extreme speed, clashing once more.

The sounds of blade and sword colliding continued, their movements so fast that even Nantian Wang couldn’t clearly see their true forms.

“Uncle Liu, what’s the situation now?” Nantian Wang squinted, watching the battlefield.

The middle-aged man standing behind him narrowed his eyes and said, “Jiang Changkong has a slight edge, but it’s limited.”

“What should we do? Will you step in later? This spot is related to the Yang Stone,” Nantian Wang whispered.

Uncle Liu shook his head. “It’s hard to interfere. That old thing Mu Jinhong won’t care who wins or loses.”

Boom

The two clashed again, this time separating far apart. Star Power surged wildly, thick dust filling the training ground.

Mu Jinhong watched intently, his gaze carrying a hint of amazement. Jiangcheng had truly produced a treasure. He hoped it wouldn’t be destroyed.

Yu Beilin and the others were extremely tense, but the gap in strength was too great. They could only watch anxiously.

They didn’t dare make a sound, afraid of disturbing Jiang Changkong and disrupting his focus.

“Brother Lin, don’t clash head-on,” Chu Yunhe said nervously.

Though he couldn’t see the battle clearly, at this point, stalling was the best strategy.

As long as they dragged it out until Jiang Changkong’s secret technique wore off, they could easily crush him.

Lin Jie’s gaze was cold. He didn’t respond, but in the next moment, he changed his approach.

With his azure sword, he held back some strength, touching and retreating immediately.

His form was swift as a shadow, elusive and unpredictable, his sword energy surging like a tide, his true body unseen.

“Close combat? It will only hasten your defeat!”

Jiang Changkong sneered coldly. Facing the tidal wave of sword energy, the Taiji Diagram manifested.

Rumble—

The surging sword energy was deflected to the side, the ground shook violently, and countless sword marks plunged into the earth, leaving behind a multitude of craters.

“Die!”

From within the tidal sword energy, Lin Jie’s figure emerged, a sapphire sword light thrusting straight toward him.

Hum

As if anticipating this, Jiang Changkong rotated the Taiji, deflecting the sword energy. Yet, twenty percent of it reversed course, striking back directly at Lin Jie.

“Huh?”

Lin Jie’s expression changed. He tried to retract his sword, but the long blade was already upon him.

At the critical moment, he could only raise his palm to block, intending to extinguish the reversed sword energy.

Jiang Changkong abruptly released the long blade, controlling it with the Spirit Control Art, and struck Lin Jie with a palm.

Golden flames surged from his palm, the Taiji faintly visible. His entire body was enveloped in golden fire, the terrifying heat evaporating the sapphire mist.

Blade and sword clashed, palms met.

Boom

Vast Star Power erupted in all directions. Both figures were thrown back simultaneously, dissipating the boundless impact of the Star Power.

Lin Jie’s expression darkened, a sharp pain throbbing in his left hand, his palm flushed crimson.

“Die.”

Circulating his Star Power, Lin Jie suppressed the injury in his left hand, his figure once again becoming elusive.

Gripping the long blade, Jiang Changkong pondered inwardly. As expected of the Star Hidden Level—the Taiji Diagram could only deflect twenty percent of the force.

However, his terrifying five senses remained unaffected.

Lin Jie’s elusive techniques seemed laughable within his sensory perception.

Behind him.

The Sunset Blade, like the fiery evening glow, unleashed a vast surge of Star Power.

Boom

Thud

A sudden slash instantly overwhelmed the sapphire Star Power. Lin Jie tumbled repeatedly in mid-air before barely stabilizing his posture.

“You actually detected me?”

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Lin Jie’s eyes were filled with shock and doubt. Was it a coincidence, or did he truly know?

“Use your life to find out.”

Jiang Changkong said calmly.

“Die.”

With a cold snort, sword light flashed as Lin Jie attacked again, though this time with much greater caution.

Jiang Changkong frowned, deliberately slowing his blade by a beat, narrowly dodging the sword light.

That’s more like it.

Lin Jie breathed a sigh of relief. Even if he could detect it, it was only when he got close.

If he had been prepared all along, seeing through everything, then his elusive tactics would be meaningless.

That earlier strike must have been a lucky guess.

Nevertheless, he remained cautious, remembering the lesson from that earlier slash all too well.

Golden flames flickered on Jiang Changkong’s long blade, trembling slightly with each collision.

His weapon was inferior to Lin Jie’s. If this continued, he might very well lose due to his inadequate weapon.

With this thought, Jiang Changkong began to withdraw his Star Power, and the withdrawal was swift.

It was as if a secret technique was fading, his strength rapidly diminishing, the flames around him dissipating.

Lin Jie’s face lit up with joy, though he remained vigilant, still probing.

Jiang Changkong cursed inwardly. A mid-stage Star Hidden cultivator, and yet so timid.

As the sword light approached, Jiang Changkong retreated continuously. To convince this guy, he deliberately coughed up a mouthful of blood.

“Changkong.” Ji Ziling and the others cried out anxiously.

“My three slots.” Nantian Wang lamented in distress.

“Without your secret technique, you can’t even withstand a single strike from me.”

Seeing this, Lin Jie finally relaxed completely. Sword light flashed again, though he still held back some strength.

Facing this strike, Jiang Changkong’s expression turned grave. He retreated repeatedly, narrowly avoiding vital points.

Ssssh

The sword light tore through his clothing, slicing his skin, golden blood dripping down.

“This strike will send you on your way.”

Watching the disheveled Jiang Changkong, Lin Jie gave a sinister smile, his hand steady as the azure sword gleam reappeared: “Boundless Sea.”

Jiang Changkong’s expression turned grave. The might of this sword strike, though fearsome, was not beyond his endurance.

“One blade, sunset glow.”

The evening clouds blazed like fire, yet not as terrifying as before: “Kill.”

The two clashed once more, but this time, blade and sword did not collide—they crossed paths instead.

As if anticipating where the sword would land, Jiang Changkong twisted his body, allowing the blade to pierce his flesh.

At the same moment, the long knife plunged into Lin Jie’s body, and in an instant, a violent surge of Star Power erupted, flooding into him.

“No…”

Lin Jie roared in fury. The long knife had pierced through his body, passing through his left shoulder, while his own sword had penetrated Jiang Changkong’s right shoulder.

Blood splattered. His heart was pierced by the blade, and the breath of life began to fade.