Chapter 185: Riding the Sky

Taiyin and Taiyang rose simultaneously, Taiji manifested, devouring and absorbing yin and yang.

The golden and silver Taiji shone with brilliant golden light, indestructible as diamond.

An invisible wave of Star Power uprooted the surrounding weeds, lifting them into the air.

The fleeting shadows of blades flashed around him, silent, traceless, and without a trace.

The Star Power within his body surged and increased, its quality also improving—one drop now equivalent to ten drops from before.

Jiang Changkong’s consciousness once again entered the six Star Gates, his illusory Soul Body sinking into the vast ocean of Star Power.

Endless Star Power poured into his illusory spiritual form.

Every drop of Star Power merged, integrating with his Soul Body.

Jiang Changkong had a strange feeling—this Star Power felt like a part of himself.

He could command it freely, moving it as he wished.

This was the Star Spirit, where consciousness merged with Star Power, imbued with spirituality.

Indestructible Diamond, Three Blades of the Fleeting Swan, Mystical Tai Chi Art, Blazing Sun Art, Cold Moon Art, Spirit Control Art.

The six martial arts formed six Star Gates, now mostly solidified.

The insights from these six martial arts continuously integrated into his mind.

The healing ability of the Mystical Tai Chi Art had also strengthened once more.

The healing ability of Indestructible Diamond had reached a terrifying level—superficial wounds could heal within a single breath.

With the two martial arts combined, injuries like the frostbite from before would take at most an hour to recover.

The Three Blades of the Fleeting Swan became faster and more elusive.

The Blazing Sun Art grew hotter, while the Cold Moon Art grew colder.

As for the Spirit Control Art, it now included an additional method: controlling objects and controlling one’s own body.

Controlling objects was easy to understand—it had always been there. But controlling one’s own body had previously relied solely on Star Power, achieved through brute force.

This new content involved using qi to control the body, making it as light as a feather and moving by borrowing external forces.

With just a gentle breeze, he could ride the wind and soar through the air!

Of course, he could also fly by borrowing other forces, which meant he could now travel through the air!

Jiang Changkong eagerly tried it out, still using Mystic Yang Steps combined with the Spirit Control Art.

He didn’t fly too high, staying just two meters above the ground.

Mystic Yang appeared beneath Jiang Changkong’s feet as he walked through the air, feeling no discomfort at all. The vast Star Sea within him only consumed a sliver of energy.

This consumption was negligible.

Jiang Changkong also tested Moonlight Flow, and it worked just as well.

After a moment of contemplation, the Taiyin Sword materialized. He stepped onto the sword and rode it through the air.

Whoosh!

A streak of light pierced the sky, and a pure force flowed from the sword, propelling him forward.

It was even faster than flying on his own!

“A good weapon really is important.”

Jiang Changkong was overjoyed. The Taiyin Sword not only amplified his attacks but also enhanced his speed when riding it.

“The swamp area.”

Jiang Changkong identified the direction and rode the sword straight toward it.

The wind howled, his hair fluttered, and his robes billowed, giving him a unique and striking presence.

It was a pity—if not for the hundreds of meters of soil above this abyss, he would have loved to soar through the skies.

What man didn’t dream of riding a sword through the heavens, roaming the world, and traversing the skies and earth?

Jiang Changkong’s heart surged with excitement, but before his exhilaration could settle, he had already reached the depths of the swamp.

So fast!

Previously, it would have taken him several minutes to get here. Now, in just a few breaths, he had arrived at the swamp area!

“In that case, I’ll explore the entire swamp area first.”

With a single thought, Jiang Changkong rode his sword away.

Moonlight cut through the Void, and Jiang Changkong’s figure vanished instantly.

“Did something just fly past?” a Martial Artist exclaimed.

“What nonsense! There’s nothing there. What are you imagining?”

“Flying instruments are rarely sold to the public. It’s uncertain whether there are even High-Rank Martial Artists in Anding Province, so how could they fly over?”

“Could it be a Star Demon?”

“The space above the abyss is this high—what kind of airborne Star Demon would be flapping around here?”

The Martial Artists discussed among themselves as Jiang Changkong flew on his sword, surveying the area below.

It was a marshland, where occasional figures of Martial Artists could be seen, but Heng Xueyue was nowhere in sight.

In just a few minutes, Jiang Changkong had scoured the entire marshland area. He even spotted several Star Spirit Peak Star Demons that tried to pounce on him, but he evaded them.

He didn’t find Heng Xueyue, but he did discover traces of residual Taiyin Star Power.

For hundreds of meters around, everything was frozen by the Lunar Cold Energy, including the marshland.

Descending on his sword, Jiang Changkong gazed at the lingering Taiyin Star Power below, lost in thought.

Could it be that Heng Xueyue had fallen into the marshland and perished here?

“No, with Heng Xueyue’s strength, even if she couldn’t match a Star Spirit Peak, she certainly wouldn’t be weaker than a late-stage Star Spirit.”

Jiang Changkong pondered. There were no Star Spirit Peak beings nearby, and the marshland’s devouring power couldn’t harm her either.

As for late-stage Star Spirit Star Demons, the closest one was over a kilometer away.

“As for being pursued…”

Jiang Changkong looked around. There were indeed traces of Taiyin Star Power here, but signs of battle…

Well, he couldn’t quite discern the signs of battle. It was all Taiyin Star Power—could this have been left by pursuers?

“Forget it, if I can’t find her, I’ll stop looking for now.”

Jiang Changkong shook his head and flew away.

After all, it wasn’t his doing. If the Heng family truly tried to pin it on him, he wasn’t afraid.

Instead, it was time to settle accounts with the three families.

Additionally, just in case, it was time for his alternate identity to make an appearance.

This time, he would have both his true self and his alternate identity appear simultaneously.

Of course, this operation was a bit tricky, but it could be done.

He could find a corpse and, with the help of the Spirit Control Art, disguise it as a second person.

As for Star Power, he could infuse it himself.

At the Star Spirit realm, Star Power possessed spirit and obeyed his control. As long as he didn’t actively disperse it, it wouldn’t dissipate on its own or drift aimlessly.

This was indeed a tremendous advantage.

After some thought, Jiang Changkong checked his own data:

Jiang Changkong: Early-stage Star Spirit.

Mid-Rank Upper-Grade Martial Arts:

Indestructible Diamond Divine Art: Beginner 1/45000

Mystical Tai Chi Art: Beginner 1/45000

Three Blades of the Fleeting Swan: Beginner 1/45000

Blazing Sun Art: Beginner 1/45000

Spirit Control Art: Beginner 1/45000

Cold Moon Art: Beginner 1/45000

Essence, Energy, and Spirit: 2153

The further he progressed, the more terrifying the required Essence, Energy, and Spirit became.

Once he reached the high rank, he would see if he could obtain a Star Crystal Vein.

“Let’s head to the Taiyin Cold Pool again.”

He flew away on his sword, leaving a trail of silvery moonlight in the air.

At the Taiyin Cold Pool, a group of people had gathered—all members of the Heng family, cultivating Taiyin Star Power.

“There are quite a few strong ones.”

Jiang Changkong narrowed his eyes. Some of these people weren’t hiding their strength, and one of them was even at Star Spirit Peak.

Of course, with his current strength, he likely had nothing to fear, though he’d only know for sure if they fought.

Now, he could probably defeat his former self effortlessly. Late-stage Star Spirits were definitely no match for him.

“Tonight, after dealing with the three families, I’ll go out and seize mineral veins.”

Jiang Changkong stood watching from a distance high in the sky, his Star Power now restrained, not revealing a trace of his presence.

The Heng family wouldn’t give up on the mineral vein competition either. He hoped not too many Star Spirit Peak experts would show up.

Though he did not fear Star Spirit Peak, he certainly couldn’t fight a whole group.

The Heng family members kept diving into the cold pool and climbing back out, busy until late at night, finding nothing, and ultimately had to leave with heavy hearts.

“Since Heng Xueyue escaped from here, would she come back again?”

Jiang Changkong pondered for a moment, then rode his sword into the Taiyin Cold Pool.

He came here to see if, with his increased strength, he could retrieve more treasures.

If he could bring out many stone stools, it wasn’t impossible for the Lunar Blade and Sword to become high-grade treasures.

Diving deep into the cold pool, he instantly arrived at the Lunar Lake, but the situation below made his expression turn grim.

The Taiyin Lake was in turmoil, silver-white Star Demons swimming within, their gazes fixed on him, the intruder.

“Forget it, I’ll come back another time.”

Jiang Changkong turned to leave, intending to eliminate the three families.

Boom!

The pool water trembled as a Lunar Sword Qi pierced through the layers of water, striking directly at him.