Chapter 23: Backstabbed

“Ah…”

A scream rang out, the pungent scent of blood drifting through the air.

“Xiao Mo…”

Zhou Wen roared angrily, sword light flashing as she repelled a Star Demon.

Jiang Changkong turned his head to look—one of the two peak stellar qi cultivators had been pierced through the body by a Star Demon.

A young man swung his sword, retreating a few steps, his gaze fixed on Jiang Changkong:

“You’re Jiang Changkong? Where are the rescue soldiers you brought?”

“Wu Jun, damn you to hell.”

Zhou Wen cursed outright: “You better shut the hell up. If it weren’t for you, would we have charged out?”

“You were the one who said reinforcements had arrived,” Wu Jun retorted angrily.

“Bullshit…”

“Enough! That Star Cloud Peak Star Demon isn’t here right now. I’ll open a path for you to escape.”

The figure in white, stained with blood, her fair skin barely concealed by grime, flushed slightly.

Trickles of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, and the hand gripping the sword trembled unsteadily, blood oozing from her wrist.

“Senior Sister, all of this is because of Jiang Changkong and Zhou Wen. Let’s break through now and leave them to face the consequences.”

Wu Jun snarled.

Jiang Changkong’s mind buzzed. He punched through a Star Demon, his body staggering back a few steps.

At a time like this, there was still internal strife?

Leaving him and Zhou Wen behind?

“I said, shut up.”

Ying Yanxue’s cold shout echoed as a snow-white sword light slashed down, forcing two Star Demons back: “Later, I’ll force open a path. All of you, leave.”

“Senior Sister, if you won’t go, I won’t go either.”

Zhou Wen said urgently: “At most half an hour, Senior Sister Ziling will arrive. At worst, we can retreat back inside.”

“You definitely can’t leave. It’s because of you that Senior Sister is in danger.”

Wu Jun said coldly: “Senior Sister, let’s retreat for now. With the energy shield, we can hold out a little longer.”

Jiang Changkong remained silent, killing another Peak Star Qi Star Demon before finally unable to hold back, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

He hesitated—should he upgrade the Bronze Skin Iron Bone Technique?

But in this situation, even if he upgraded, it wouldn’t be of much use.

Moreover, once he upgraded, what he would face would be Nebula-level Star Demons!

His Taiji Fist wasn’t yet fully perfected. Facing a Nebula-level Star Demon would be tough; he’d only become a more durable punching bag.

And this Wu Jun was suspicious too. If he saw Jiang Changkong break through mid-battle, would he have other ideas?

Boom!

At that moment, a loud crash sounded. The giant rock behind them shattered, and a three-foot-long Star Demon covered in barbs crouched atop the broken stones.

“The shield… it’s broken!”

Ying Yanxue’s expression changed. Finally, she realized where the Star Cloud Peak Star Demon had gone.

It had gone to break the shield!

“Kill!”

Ying Yanxue shouted sharply, not daring to delay any longer. Star Power surged as a sword light shot forth.

The snow-white sword light carried a chilling aura, then split into over twenty beams, enveloping all the Star Demons.

“Take them and go.”

Ying Yanxue commanded coldly, turning instead to face the Star Cloud Peak Star Demon.

“Senior Sister, I won’t leave. I’ll fight alongside you.”

But Wu Jun followed Ying Yanxue, charging forward as well.

Zhou Wen did the same.

The other four, however, seized the chance to rush out.

Just as Jiang Changkong was about to follow Zhou Wen, she kicked him away: “Get out of here, now.”

The kick was heavy, yet gentle.

Heavy in that it sent him flying far away; gentle in that he landed safely, unharmed.

Falling into a patch of weeds, he was about to get up when a hand pressed down on him: “Don’t act rashly. Take this phone, adjust the volume, and it can lure away some of the Star Demons. After that, throw the phone away.”

Jiang Changkong glanced at the person who spoke—Liu Feng and the other two were lying hidden in the grass.

They hadn’t left!

Without hesitation, Jiang Changkong picked up the phone, adjusted the volume, and quickly ran.

“Woo ya eh…”

A strange cry came from the phone.

Roar!

The Star Demons paused simultaneously. The Star Qi Star Demons didn’t hesitate and charged straight toward Jiang Changkong.

As for the Nebula-level Star Demons, they halted, suspiciously eyeing Jiang Changkong, hesitating and uncertain.

Even the Star Cloud Peak Star Demon paused for a moment, taking no action.

Seeing it was effective, Jiang Changkong deliberately paused, but the Nebula-level Star Demons still didn’t give chase.

A group of Star Qi Star Demons closed in, nearly upon him, forcing him to turn and flee.

That was all he could do.

As for the remaining Nebula-level Star Demons, there was truly nothing he could do.

Jiang Changkong ran at full speed, with the Star Demons following in a massive swarm.

After running for a full quarter of an hour, certain he was far enough from them, Jiang Changkong discarded the phone and changed direction.

“Changkong.”

Before long, Liu Feng and the other two approached, calling out softly.

“Thank you. I owe you for the phone—I’ll repay you later,” Jiang Changkong said gratefully.

“It’s just a phone. The earnings from this trip are enough to buy plenty more,” Liu Feng waved it off. “That was the sound of a Star Demon. Unfortunately, the Federation can only record its form, which briefly fools the Star Qi Star Demons.”

A phone was nothing. On this outing, Jiang Changkong had given them the lion’s share of the rewards.

Moreover, gaining the goodwill of a Martial Arts School student in exchange for a phone was well worth it.

“Sigh, I hope they’re alright,” Jiang Changkong sighed. “What about the four who rushed out with me?”

“Don’t worry, none of them will be harmed,” Liu Feng said, finding a spot to sit down. “This time, you acted impulsively.”

“Zhou Wen has been good to me, looking out for me often. It’s a shame I couldn’t help much,” Jiang Changkong shook his head.

“What did you tell them?” Liu Feng asked.

Jiang Changkong handed them the phone. The three checked the messages and fell silent.

Based on Jiang Changkong and Zhou Wen’s communication, the plan was solely to break through the encirclement, with a high chance of success.

However, that Wu Jun had rushed out shouting before Ji Ziling arrived, alerting the Star Demons!

After a long pause, Liu Feng said, “You didn’t even assess the nearby situation before charging in. It’s a miracle you didn’t die in there.”

Jiang Changkong said helplessly, “If it weren’t for that Wu Jun shouting, I wouldn’t have gone out either.”

“That was clearly meant to force you out to die, so someone else could play the hero and save the day,” Zhang Mo sneered. “You were set up—or rather, Zhou Wen was set up, and you were just collateral. Someone didn’t want you to rescue them; they wanted another group to do it.”

Jiang Changkong frowned.

“We were about to leave when we noticed signs of human activity,” Xiao Hu said calmly. “After checking nearby, we found someone lying in ambush, watching you the whole time.”

Zhang Mo continued, “Not long after you left, they emerged—one at Star Cloud Peak and three at late-stage Star Cloud.”

“I know I was tricked,” Jiang Changkong said, his expression grim. “But I had to go. I wanted to help Zhou Wen and Ying Yanxue.”

The three nodded without elaborating further. “Their crisis is resolved. What are your plans? Returning to the city? Or going to find them?”

“I’m not going back. Since I’m already out here, I should make the most of it by hunting Star Demons for training. Besides, Senior Ying Yanxue will be here soon. At the Star Cloud Peak, once I join up with her, we’ll have no trouble handling things,” Jiang Changkong said.

Having finally made it out, how could he just turn back so easily? Although the simulated assessment offered decent rewards, Zhang Tao and Li He had already caught on—he couldn’t keep doing this indefinitely. With Star Demons everywhere here, hunting more of them was the fastest way to improve.

“We knew you wouldn’t go back so easily,” Liu Feng chuckled, pulling a notebook from his backpack. “These are our notes. They should be helpful to you.”

“You’ll want to study them carefully. In terms of strength, we’re no match for you, but when it comes to familiarity with this place, ten of you couldn’t compare to us,” Zhang Mo and Xiao Hu added with a laugh, taking items from their own backpacks. “We still have plenty of rations left. They’re all yours.”

“Thank you for your help this time, brothers. Once we’re back in the city, I’ll treat you all to a meal,” Jiang Changkong said gratefully.

“It’s a deal. We’ll be waiting for you to host us when you return,” Liu Feng replied with a smile.

“Definitely,” Jiang Changkong promised.

“If it weren’t for our duties requiring us to report back to the city, we’d have loved to take advantage of you a bit longer,” the three joked before turning to leave.

Jiang Changkong saw them off with a smile, but his expression darkened once they were gone. This time, he’d been set up entirely because his strength was insufficient. If he were powerful enough, he would have crushed Wu Jun on the spot. There was no quick way to improve his strength back in the city, so staying here was his only option.

I wonder if Ying Yanxue and the others have left yet? They probably wouldn’t take those Star Demon corpses with them, would they?