Chapter 26: Surging Essence-Qi-Spirit

“Zhang Hua, I’ve already sent Changkong back.”

Ji Ziling looked at the young man before her and said calmly, “Where’s Wu Jun? Such audacity, come out and face your death.”

“Ji Ziling.”

Zhang Hua’s expression remained calm as he stared coldly at her. “Are you trying to shield Jiang Changkong?”

Ji Ziling was taken aback. “Shield him?”

“Jiang Changkong claimed he was bringing troops for support, but while Yan Xue and the others fought desperately, not a single soldier appeared. Spreading false information—was he trying to get them killed? Now you let him leave first. Isn’t that shielding him?”

Zhang Hua said coldly.

“Nonsense! Changkong risked his life to come here. I’ve seen the messages—it was Wu Jun who acted recklessly.”

Ji Ziling replied icily, “Don’t think I don’t know your dirty intentions.”

“Ziling.”

Ying Yanxue, now changed into clean white clothes, walked over.

“Senior Ziling.”

Zhou Wen also approached.

“Yan Xue, your face is so pale—you must be seriously injured. Let’s return to the city.”

Ji Ziling took Ying Yanxue’s hand and prepared to leave.

Ying Yanxue had been severely injured earlier, and in clearing a path for the others, her injuries worsened, leaving her face as pale as paper.

“Ji Ziling, you’re going too far.”

Zhang Hua snorted coldly. “This concerns a Special Star Demon. Since you’re here, stay quietly. If you return to the city and the information leaks, who will be held responsible?”

“Ziling, let’s leave it at this for now. We can discuss it after recovering from our injuries.” Ying Yanxue frowned slightly.

Zhang Hua clearly had no intention of letting them leave, and his reasoning was strong enough.

If Ji Ziling forcibly took them away, Zhang Hua could report to the school later, claiming the information had leaked and the Special Star Demon was stolen. Wouldn’t that be an injustice?

Then, if he shifted the blame onto them, saying it was because of them…

Would they have to compensate Zhang Hua with a special skill?

Zhang Hua said coldly, “Ji Ziling, I won’t blame you this time for letting Jiang Changkong go privately. I hope you won’t cause trouble.”

Ji Ziling sneered, “You know the truth in your heart. You can find someone to take the blame, but don’t expect my friend to shoulder it!”

This time, Wu Jun’s sudden shout nearly cost Ying Yanxue and the others their lives.

Earlier, someone had died on the spot.

If this were investigated, someone would need to take the blame.

Wu Jun worked for Zhang Hua, so he couldn’t possibly be the scapegoat. The best candidate was Jiang Changkong.

Jiang Changkong watched from the shadows, carefully retreating.

He was nearly bursting with anger inside.

Zhang Hua, Wu Jun—it was clearly your doing, and now you want me to take the blame?

No wonder Ji Ziling didn’t let me continue following. She must have known this all along.

After some thought, Jiang Changkong retreated.

However, he didn’t go far. He intended to follow them.

These people had daily provisions and hunted Star Demons.

They all carried backpacks, so he couldn’t expect any Star Stones, but they couldn’t take the corpses with them—that was an advantage.

He could also hunt Star Demons nearby and take a look at what the Special Star Demon looked like.

Having made up his mind, Jiang Changkong sat down nearby, reviewing his notes and waiting for dawn.

The night passed uneventfully and peacefully.

Zhang Hua and the others set off early, with Jiang Changkong secretly following.

A group traveling with injured members couldn’t move very quickly.

Along the way, whenever they encountered Star Demons, Zhang Hua and the others killed them directly to retrieve the Star Stones, leaving the corpses behind.

Following behind, Jiang Changkong occasionally encountered unwary Star Demons, all at the Star Qi Level, which he dispatched without hesitation.

As for Star Cloud Level Star Demons, these guys wouldn’t let them go—they had already killed them themselves.

From his hidden position, he could see that Zhang Hua wasn’t in a hurry to hunt the Special Star Demon. Instead, he spent his days trying to win Ying Yanxue’s favor.

Ji Ziling was so furious she nearly came to blows with Zhang Hua.

But since Zhang Hua was the one in charge now, there was nothing she could do but endure it.

While they were setting up camp and roasting Star Demon meat, before nightfall, Jiang Changkong went out to search for Star Demons.

If they were Star Cloud Level, he would retreat; if they were Star Qi Level, he would kill them outright.

With his current strength, even early-stage stellar qi Star Demons were within his ability to slay, but he feared making too much noise and drawing attention, so he had to let them go.

After his Taiji Fist breakthrough, his Star Power had nearly doubled, and his Power Runes had also increased.

If he faced Zhang Tao and Li He again, he could easily overpower them with one hand.

Soon, Jiang Changkong found several Peak Star Qi Star Demons and charged out, punching through their skulls with a single blow.

The other Star Demons swung their sharp claws, striking his body.

Clang!

A crisp sound rang out, like metal striking metal, leaving not a single scratch.

Moreover, the shock damage was gone—his defense was too strong.

Even if surrounded by over a dozen Peak Star Qi Star Demons, they couldn’t harm him.

He effortlessly slaughtered five Peak Star Qi Star Demons, harvesting 2500 Essence, before returning satisfied.

Roar!

A low growl echoed. Not long after he started walking, Star Demons emerged from the weeds, blocking his path.

Jiang Changkong’s expression remained unchanged—they were all Star Qi Level, so he simply killed them.

“Something’s off here?”

As he slaughtered Star Demons along the way, Jiang Changkong felt a sudden unease.

According to the notes, there seemed to be many Star Demons here.

And as he continued, they would only grow more numerous, with their strength increasing as well.

Punching another Star Demon to death, Jiang Changkong didn’t even bother digging out the Star Stones, extracting everything directly.

With so many Star Demons nearby, he wasn’t afraid, as there were no Star Cloud Level ones.

Star Demons charged at him one after another, but Jiang Changkong ignored their attacks. With each punch, a Star Demon fell.

As Star Demons fell one by one, he extracted their Essence, releasing a foul stench.

The clanging sounds continued endlessly—the Star Demons’ attacks were completely ineffective, merely delivering Essence to him.

After killing the last Star Demon, Jiang Changkong extracted the Essence and sped away.

It was already dark, and staying longer would only attract more Star Demons.

Checking his Essence, he now had over ten thousand—he had killed a full twenty just now.

“At this rate, I can improve rapidly.”

Jiang Changkong’s heart surged with excitement—this Star Demon-infested land was his paradise.

Of course, this was only possible because he had the strength to handle it.

Sitting cross-legged, he saw that Zhang Hua and the others had already finished eating the Star Demon meat and were resting.

Jiang Changkong continued flipping through the notes. Even after finishing them, he would reread them, striving to memorize every word without missing a single detail.

The next day, Zhang Hua and the others didn’t leave. Instead, they split into groups and entered the weeds to search for Star Demons.

Jiang Changkong overheard that they planned to stay for a few days to allow Ying Yanxue to recover from her injuries.

Those who went out to hunt Star Demons were all nebula martial artists. Jiang Changkong didn’t follow them, choosing instead to hunt Star Demons in the opposite direction.

It was even better if they didn’t leave—he could hunt Star Demons and improve himself.

Upgrading his basic blade technique required just over five hundred Essence, while reaching the peak of the low-grade lower tier required forty-two thousand five hundred.

He wanted to upgrade his Severing Water Three Blades to its peak, which would require forty-three thousand.

During the day, Star Demons were still plentiful, and Jiang Changkong easily found them.

He engaged in close combat, allowing Star Demon blood to splatter all over him.

Covered in the scent of blood, Jiang Changkong didn’t mind—he had fresh clothes in his backpack to change into.

After a round of slaughter, he kept a large piece of Star Demon meat to roast and eat.

The rations were almost gone, and the fresh water was running low too. He needed to find a water source soon.

Star Demon meat without seasoning was just as unpalatable, especially when it wasn’t cooked well—tough and hard, even though his teeth were strong.

After a quick meal, he continued hunting Star Demons.

By the end of the day, Jiang Changkong had gained over twenty thousand units of Essence. Combined with what he had before, his Essence now totaled 31,830!

“If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have followed Ji Ziling in the first place.”

Jiang Changkong pursed his lips, though he was just saying it out loud.

If he hadn’t followed Ji Ziling, he could have hunted Star Demons freely, but he would never have found this gathering place of Star Demons.

He was still over ten thousand units short of perfecting the Severing Water Three Blades technique, but he should be able to manage it by tomorrow.