109: Chapter 109 Crushing

Friday, 10 PM, Secret Base.

Chen Zhen sat cross-legged in the center of the Seven-Path Heavenly Star Formation, checking his equipment one last time.

Four thousand Talismans were neatly stacked in his Storage Space, categorized:

1,200 Attack Talismans, 1,000 Defense Talismans, 600 Binding Talismans, 600 Purification Talismans, 600 Suppression Talismans.

Each type was labeled, making it easy to grab whatever he needed.

Two kilograms of anshen flower powder and six thousand Mint leaves, enough to draw several thousand new Talismans.

Seven fragments rotated slowly in his Dantian; with every rotation, vast Stellar Energy surged throughout his body.

Qi Refining Level 6, 1,500 points of Cultivation.

That was enough.

He stood up and walked to the window.

Outside, the night was deep, with the city lights twinkling like stars.

To the northeast, that Qi Refining Level 6 The Out-of-Controls was still moving; its speed was not fast, but its direction was steady—heading south.

He would set off tomorrow and arrive the day after.

He turned around and glanced at the corner.

Zhou Rui and Shen Nian were both there. Zhou Rui was drawing Talismans, and Shen Nian was studying those pots of spiritual plants.

The door was knocked.

"Come in."

Yun Xi pushed the door open, wearing black sportswear, her hair tied into a ponytail, looking very capable.

She walked up to Chen Zhen and looked at him.

"Are you ready?"

Chen Zhen nodded.

Yun Xi stared at him for three seconds.

"You have become stronger again."

It was a statement of fact.

Chen Zhen did not speak.

Yun Xi waited for two seconds, took out a map from her bosom, and spread it on the table.

The map marked the latest location of that The Out-of-Controls.

It was about 1,200 kilometers away, near a small town in the northeast.

"His name is Zheng Ming, 43 years old. He was originally Qi Refining Level 5. After the Fusion of the fragment failed, he became an The Out-of-Controls. Now he is Qi Refining Level 6."

Yun Xi pointed to the red dot on the map. "He has already killed seven people. Five ordinary people and two fragment holders."

Chen Zhen looked at that red dot.

"Abilities?"

"Controlling metal," Yun Xi said. "He can turn surrounding metal into weapons, with a range of about fifty meters. His speed is average, but his attack power is very strong."

Chen Zhen nodded.

Yun Xi looked at him.

"Are you confident?"

Chen Zhen did not answer.

Yun Xi waited for two seconds and smiled.

"Alright, I won't ask anymore."

She put away the map.

"What time are you leaving tomorrow?"

"Five o'clock."

Saturday, 5 AM, before dawn.

Chen Zhen stood on the open ground outside the Secret Base, with Yun Xi standing next to him.

Zhou Rui and Shen Nian also came out, standing at the door to see them off.

Zhou Rui looked at Chen Zhen, opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"Speak."

Zhou Rui took a deep breath.

"Master, be careful."

Chen Zhen nodded.

He turned, activated a Speed Talisman, and began to run.

Yun Xi followed behind.

The two disappeared into the night.

2 PM, a small town in the northeast.

Chen Zhen stood on a small hill outside the town, looking at the dilapidated small town below.

The town was not big, with only a few hundred households.

But at this moment, it was deathly silent; the streets were empty, and there wasn't even the sound of a dog barking.

In his perception, that The Out-of-Controls was in the center of the town.

Qi Refining Level 6, the aura was chaotic and violent, exactly the same as that previous The Out-of-Controls.

Yun Xi stood next to him, lowering her voice.

"Did you sense it?"

Chen Zhen nodded.

"He is in the center of the town."

Yun Xi frowned.

"Could there be an ambush nearby?"

Chen Zhen shook his head.

"No. It's just him alone."

Yun Xi was stunned for a moment.

"So confident?"

Chen Zhen did not answer and walked directly down the hill.

Yun Xi wanted to stop him but failed.

She gritted her teeth and followed.

The center of the town was a small square.

In the center of the square stood a middle-aged man, over forty years old, wearing ragged clothes, his body emitting a blood-red light.

Around him floated countless metal fragments—iron sheets, screws, nails, dense like a swarm of hungry locusts.

He heard footsteps and turned his head.

The moment he saw Chen Zhen, he laughed.

"Another one here to throw their life away."

Chen Zhen did not speak and continued walking forward.

The man watched him, a flash of doubt in his eyes.

"You... are you not afraid?"

Chen Zhen walked to the center of the square, twenty meters away from him, and stopped.

"Zheng Ming?"

The man was stunned for a moment.

"You know me?"

Chen Zhen did not answer.

He raised his right hand.

Seven points of light lit up in his Dantian simultaneously.

[Starlight Domain]

A Domain with a diameter of fifty meters expanded instantly, covering the entire square.

Wherever the dark golden light reached, those floating metal fragments all lost control and clattered to the ground.

Zheng Ming's expression changed.

"You... who are you?"

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"The person who has come to collect the fragment."

Zheng Ming took a step back, the blood-red light surging wildly, trying to regain control of those metal fragments.

But it was useless.

In the Starlight Domain, his power was suppressed by at least seventy percent.

He looked up at Chen Zhen, fear appearing in his eyes for the first time.

"Wait... we can talk about this..."

Chen Zhen ignored him.

He raised his left hand.

[Purification Domain]

Within a fifty-meter range, golden light descended from the sky.

The blood-red light on Zheng Ming's body seemed to encounter its natural enemy, struggling wildly, but it was of no use.

Those lights melted like snow in the Purification Domain, revealing his true appearance—an ordinary, terrified middle-aged man.

"No! Don't!"

He screamed and turned to run.

Chen Zhen did not chase.

He just raised his right hand.

[Starlight Slash]

A pale golden light blade shot out from his palm, slicing across Zheng Ming's body.

He stopped in place, looking down at the wound on his chest.

The blood-red light surged out from the wound and then dissipated.

He looked up and stared at Chen Zhen.

His expression was complex.

There was fear, unwillingness, and also a bit of... relief.

"Thank you."

He fell down.

His body turned into points of light and dissipated in the air.

Only a dark blue fragment remained on the ground.

Chen Zhen walked over and picked up the fragment.

The eighth one.

He put it into his Storage Space and turned to walk back.

Yun Xi stood at the edge of the square, completely stunned.

Chen Zhen walked up to her, and only then did she snap out of it.

"You... you just... solved it?"

Chen Zhen looked at her.

"What else?"

Yun Xi opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't say anything.

She looked at Chen Zhen's eyes, and for the first time, it changed.

Before it was equality, but now it was a complex emotion—awe, and a bit of... relief.

Relief that she was on his side.

5 PM, the two left the town.

Walking outside the town, Chen Zhen stopped.

He took out the newly obtained fragment and injected spiritual power into it.

The fragment turned into points of light and surged into his body.

It joined the seven in his Dantian.

The eight points of light rearranged themselves, forming a perfect octagon, rotating slowly.

Power.

Power twice as strong as before.

[Fusion Successful]

[Spiritual Power Limit: 3000 → 4000]

[Obtained New Ability: [Star Core: Eighth Layer] (Passive) Stellar Energy intensity increased by eight times, Cultivation efficiency +600%, damage to evil things +4000%]

Chen Zhen opened his eyes and looked at his hand.

In his palm, the pale golden light was even richer.

Yun Xi was watching from the side, her eyes complex.

"You... have you broken through again?"

Chen Zhen nodded.

Yun Xi was silent for a few seconds.

"With you like this, how are we supposed to live?"

Chen Zhen did not answer.

He looked up towards the northwest.

There, there was one more.

Qi Refining Level 7.

The strongest one.

He withdrew his gaze and turned to walk back.

"Go back and rest. We set off tomorrow."