182: Chapter 182 Starry Sky Domain, Using Oneself as Bait

If not for this, wanting to improve by 0.2 Ranks within a month during the Late Stage of the Great Sun Realm—a stage where every level of improvement is like climbing a heavenly ladder—would be completely impossible.

"I am just a little over one step away from the Peak of the Great Sun Realm——"

Li Wen felt the True Qi rushing like a great river and burning like a furnace within his body, and he could not help but feel a surge of eagerness in his heart.

The Peak of the Great Sun Realm is the stepping stone to becoming a Marquis Level.

A Marquis-level Divine Demon is not just a leap in Realm, but also represents the supreme honor bestowed by the Human Race faction.

Every Marquis Level powerhouse will possess their own unique title, which is the most direct recognition of having made huge contributions to the Human Race or possessing the strength to establish a sect.

But what Li Wen valued was far more than just honor; it was the qualitative leap in strength that came with it.

There is an ancient saying circulating in the cultivation world of the Human Race— "Everyone below the Marquis Level is an ant."

The confidence behind this statement stems from the unique ability awakened at the Marquis Level Realm—the Stardome Domain.

This Stardome Domain is almost an all-around combat power multiplier.

It requires no additional consumption, as if it were a space of a Dominator formed by projecting one's own power outside the body.

In this Domain, Marquis Level powerhouses have sharper perception, faster energy mobilization, and the operation of Laws is more inclined towards themselves.

Whether it is speed, strength, defense, recovery, or even the control of the power of heaven and earth and resistance to interference on the mental level, all can obtain considerable amplification.

This feeling is just like having a peerless expert who is in perfect harmony with one's mind and proficient in Domain amplification providing perfect assistance by one's side.

The effect is even stronger, because this is a part of one's own power, and the compatibility is impeccable.

This does not mean that those Divine Demons who specialize in specific Domains have lost their value.

Quite the opposite! The Stardome Domain can perfectly stack with the specialized Domain abilities, forming a magical effect where 1 plus 1 is greater than 2.

A Domain focused on killing, when stacked with the Stardome Domain, will have even more violent killing power, and any potential defensive shortcomings will be compensated for by the overall strengthening of the Stardome Domain.

A Domain focused on defense, when stacked with the Stardome Domain, will make the defense as solid as a rock, while simultaneously granting the Domain stronger offensive capabilities for counterattacks or control.

The Stardome Domain has no fixed attribute bias, but it can perfectly accommodate and amplify any Domain cultivated in other directions.

It allows Marquis Level powerhouses to truly walk the path of an all-rounder with no shortcomings, and in their main direction of attack, push their advantages to the extreme.

Its wonderful uses filled Li Wen with a desire for a Breakthrough.

"Hoo—" Li Wen slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, suppressed the agitation in his heart, and closed his eyes again.

The Blade Technique Dao Realm still needs to be comprehended, the Physical Body Realm still needs steady polishing, the Peak of the Great Sun Realm is right ahead, and the dawn of the Stardome Domain is already visible.

The path of cultivation is one step at a time.

The peace of Changning City and even the human world requires stronger power to support it.

In the quiet cultivation room, vast and restrained energy once again quietly gathered with him as the core.

Somewhere on Blue Star, a huge space hidden deep under thick rock layers was the lair of "Shadow."

Inside the council hall that once belonged to the leaders of the twelve departments of Shadow, the atmosphere at this moment was completely different.

In the hall, there were no human leaders, but three great Demon Kings exuding powerful Demonic Qi, who were three of the seven demons that escaped from the surprise attack on Shanyu Pass.

They had restrained part of their aura, but the prestige of the great Demon King level could still be faintly felt.

However, these three beings who made ordinary Divine Demons tremble were now appearing exceptionally restrained.

Their gazes were all cast towards the being on the main seat of the hall.

Sitting on the main seat was a young-looking man.

He had a handsome face and an exotic, evil charm, looking no different from an ordinary person, except for the dark luster that occasionally flashed deep in his eyes, revealing his non-human nature.

The aura around him seemed ordinary, but upon careful perception, it was as unfathomable as an abyss.

"It has been a month, why hasn't Great Demon King Fu Yan come to rendezvous?" The youth picked up a cup of unknown liquid, his voice peaceful, yet carrying the unquestionable majesty of a superior.

A hunched, cold-aura great Demon King sitting below hurriedly bowed: "Reporting to Demon Saint Wu Jing, this subordinate has heard something before. Great Demon King Fu Yan's most valued direct descendant, Fox Demon Fu Ye, fell at the hands of that newly promoted Marquis Level seed of the Human Race, the Great Sun Realm Prodigy Li Wen. He has deep resentment in his heart and is likely seeking revenge."

"Fox Demon Fu Ye——" Demon Saint Wu Jing tapped his fingers lightly on the back of the chair, "That little fox with quite good cultivation talent? I remember. To be able to make that old fox Great Demon King Fu Yan risk seeking revenge regardless of the importance of lurking, it seems he really viewed Fox Demon Fu Ye as the apple of his eye."

A playful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "It fits the nature of the Heavenly Fox lineage, which has always been protective of their own."

"Forget it," Wu Jing waved his hand, "Since he is concerned about this, forcing him to assemble will not make him dedicated. Let's not talk about him for now. You few have been infiltrating for over a month, and you should have adapted enough; it is time to do some real work."

"This subordinate will strictly follow the Demon Saint's decree!" The three great Demon Kings replied in unison, their expressions respectful.

Before the words fell, Demon Saint Wu Jing's gaze moved slightly, as if he sensed something, and he looked towards the entrance of the hall: "Oh? Speak of Great Demon King Fu Yan, and Great Demon King Fu Yan arrives. He actually made it in time."

Sure enough, not long after, a figure walked through the passage and entered the hall. It was the newly arrived Five-Tailed Heavenly Fox great Demon King Great Demon King Fu Yan.

He saw Demon Saint Wu Jing on the main seat at a glance, immediately suppressed the dust and fatigue on his body, stepped forward quickly, and bowed: "Great Demon King Fu Yan is late, greetings to Demon Saint Wu Jing."

Demon Saint Wu Jing nodded, his gaze sweeping over him: "Hmm, you are just in time. Seeing that your aura is restrained, it seems you held back and didn't make a move? Did you finish off that human kid?"

A flash of blood-red light passed through Great Demon King Fu Yan's eyes, then he returned to calm and shook his head: "I have not made a move yet. I used my Primordial Spirit to cover and search, but I could not sense Li Wen's exact location. He must be in a special shielded state or a place of seclusion. This kid has extremely high vigilance, and I was worried that forcibly using Demonic power to investigate would expose me in advance and alert the enemy."

"Your judgment is very correct," Demon Saint Wu Jing praised, "Now Shanyu Pass is personally guarded by a Human Race Venerable and has become a forbidden zone. Once you make a move nearby, causing large energy fluctuations, and are captured by his Rule sensing, it would be difficult to retreat unscathed. Making a rash move to search is not worth the loss."

Great Demon King Fu Yan said in a deep voice: "This subordinate was precisely concerned about this point."

"Very good, as long as you understand the big picture. A mere Great Sun Realm, there are plenty of opportunities, no need to rush for a moment."

Demon Saint Wu Jing's gaze swept over Great Demon King Fu Yan and the other three great Demon Kings, "Since the four of you are all here, plus the eleven King-rank of Shadow, the manpower is finally sufficient. We can start to implement that plan."

A flash of light appeared in the eyes of Great Demon King Fu Yan and the others, and they said in unison: "We are ready to await the Demon Saint's orders at any time!"

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, another month went by. October 1, 235 of the galactic calendar, night.

Changning City, a quiet residential area for high-Rank Divine Demons. Inside one of the courtyards, Li Wen's figure stretched his limbs in the night, moving at a slow rhythm that contained powerful vitality.

He was tempering his Physical Body, and the pure and powerful Qi and blood power surged through his flesh and bones, emitting a faint but clear, tide-like rumbling sound.

Just in a quiet room of another courtyard of the same specifications, less than a hundred meters away from Li Wen's courtyard.

The rotating Captain of the Changning City station, the veteran Peak Great Sun Realm Divine Demon Captain Zhao Zheng, was sitting cross-legged, and the Mental Energy around his body was like a lake surface where a stone had been thrown, rippling with strong, unusual ripples.

He was not cultivating his Physical Body, but his Primordial Spirit.

A basic Primordial Spirit cultivation technique called "Kindling Star-Gazing Record" was operating deep in his consciousness.

This is the only official Primordial Spirit cultivation method that every Divine Demon of the Human Race who reaches the Great Sun Realm can obtain.

All Marquis Level Divine Demons rely on this technique, combined with their own Comprehension Ability, to condense the initial Primordial Spirit seed, like water dripping through stone.

Li Wen naturally also mastered this technique.

But the slowness of this technique's effectiveness appeared exceptionally difficult and inefficient in front of the Scholar profession he possessed.

In his view, spending a massive amount of time cultivating this method for a year would have a less effective boost to his Primordial Spirit than the bonus brought by his Scholar Rank increasing from Lv1 to Lv2 in his early years.

Especially at this critical period when his Physical Body was still one step away from the Peak, he really could not spare precious time to study this turtle-speed technique.

Veteran powerhouses like Captain Zhao Zheng were different. After stepping into the Peak of the Great Sun Realm in his fifties, his Physical Body cultivation had long since reached its limit. His remaining energy and long years could only be pinned on this only path of Primordial Spirit advancement.

Thirty full years of painstaking effort, polishing consciousness, tempering the spirit, and continuously compressing and condensing the vast accumulated Mental Energy, all just to nurture that single point of Primordial Spirit Origin that belonged to himself, capable of detaching from the Sea of Consciousness to independently perceive the world.

The difficulty of this can be imagined.

In the history of the Human Race, it was not as if there hadn't been brilliant talents who attempted to improve or create new Primordial Spirit techniques.

There was once a Senior whose Primordial Spirit Realm reached the eighth level, who exhausted all his efforts in an attempt to blaze a more efficient path for the Primordial Spirit.

Yet, in the end, he discovered that even someone as strong as him could not surpass this set of the "Kindling Star-Observing Record".

The endeavor to create a new technique could ultimately only be helplessly shelved.

At this moment, inside the quiet room, the muscles on Captain Zhao Zheng's face were twitching imperceptibly, and at the center of his brow, it seemed as if a point of invisible light was about to pierce through his skin.

His mental state was vastly different from usual; his Mental Energy was condensed as never before, like countless streams surging and flowing within his space of consciousness, converging toward a core Origin point — this was the distinct omen of condensing a Primordial Spirit.

Outside the quiet room, Li Wen, who was immersed in his Physical Body Cultivation, suddenly raised an eyebrow.

His powerful Primordial Spirit, which far exceeded that of an ordinary Great Sun Realm, keenly captured that unusual energy fusion hundreds of meters away.

"Oh?" Li Wen slowly withdrew his stance, stopped the movements of his Physical Body tempering, and cast his gaze toward the direction of Captain Zhao Zheng's courtyard, a flash of realization crossing his eyes. "Senior Brother Zhao — he is about to succeed."

He could clearly perceive that as the mental fluctuations climbed to their Peak and then suddenly collapsed, a brand-new, albeit weak yet extremely pure, Soul aura capable of initially detaching from the shackles of the Physical Body and existing independently, had finally firmly been born within Captain Zhao Zheng.

A sincere smile appeared on the corner of Li Wen's mouth.

This Senior Brother, who had held the front line for decades, had paid with hardship and time unimaginable to ordinary people, and finally ushered in his moment of sublimation.

The Human Race would once again gain a new Marquis Level guardian.

Li Wen did not immediately go forward to offer his congratulations.

He understood that Captain Zhao Zheng, having just condensed his Primordial Spirit, urgently needed to stabilize this newly born foundation and adapt to this brand-new state.

The night faded, and the morning light began to glimmer.

The next morning, October 2nd.

When the first ray of sunlight bathed the courtyard, all combat personnel stationed in Changning City received a brief yet shocking message: "Captain Zhao Zheng successfully condensed his Primordial Spirit last night and is about to attempt to break through to the Marquis Level!"

Not long after, the Divine Demons who received the summons gathered in the training hall.

Captain Zhao Zheng was already waiting there; although he had not slept all night, there was no trace of fatigue on his face. On the contrary, he was full of vigor, his eyes like polished glazed glass, flashing with an unprecedented sharp luster.

The heavy aura belonging to the Peak of the Great Sun Realm on him remained unchanged, but in the deeper recesses, it seemed as if he had gained a kind of keen perception capable of discerning the subtle.

"Everyone," Captain Zhao Zheng's voice was loud and steady, even carrying a hint of penetrative power it had not possessed before. "During my cultivation last night, I fortunately succeeded; I have already condensed my Primordial Spirit!"

The training hall was silent for an instant, and then erupted into sincere and enthusiastic applause, followed by low exclamations of admiration and congratulations.

Everyone understood what this meant: condensing the Primordial Spirit was the most critical step in stepping into the Marquis Level!

In an instant, the meeting room was enveloped in immense surprise and jubilation.

"Congratulations, Captain!" "That's great! Our Changning City is finally going to produce a Marquis Level!" "Captain is mighty! I knew you could definitely do it!"

Words of congratulation and blessings rose and fell, sincere and warm.

Li Wen smiled and stepped forward, shaking hands firmly with Captain Zhao Zheng. "Senior Brother Zhao, congratulations! It is a natural result, well-deserved!"

Captain Zhao Zheng looked at this Junior Brother, who was truly the number one combatant in Changning City, and feeling the steady composure transmitted from his hand, he was filled with deep emotion. He gripped back firmly and said, "Thank you, Junior Apprentice Brother Li. This step was not easy; I have finally waited for it."

Amidst the joyful atmosphere, Captain Zhao Zheng also revealed a touch of emotion. "However, the final kick to reach the Marquis Level — the Awakening of the Star Dome Domain — must be completed by returning to the Kindling Hall and utilizing the special power there. I will set off shortly."

As soon as these words were spoken, the enthusiasm in the meeting room diminished slightly, and the eyes of the crowd could not help but reveal deep reluctance.

Having spent years together, the camaraderie of comrades who had shared life and death was already deeply rooted in their hearts.

Reaching the Marquis Level was an honor, but it also meant that Captain Zhao Zheng would bid farewell to the front line to shoulder heavier and more macroscopic responsibilities.

The defense landscape of Changning City would also change accordingly.

But at the same time, the greater emotion was sincere joy and blessings.

The birth of every Marquis Level was an important strengthening of the overall defense line of the Human Race.

"Captain, this is a great thing!" "Yes, breaking through to the Marquis Level is what matters!" "If you have any difficulties in the future, you must come back and cover us old brothers!" "Take care, Captain!"

Everyone crowded around Captain Zhao Zheng, their words filled with the camaraderie of comrades and expectations for the future.

Just like that, a simple yet warm small farewell gathering took place in the morning light.

There was no grand banquet, only deep friendship flowing through everyone's words of blessing.

Not long after, a streamlined military aircraft was already parked on the station platform.

Captain Zhao Zheng took one last look at the Changning City station where he had lived for many years and the people seeing him off, nodded firmly, and without further words, turned and resolutely boarded the aircraft.

The cabin door closed, the engine emitted a slight hum, and the aircraft rapidly ascended, turning into a streak of light, speeding toward the distant Kindling Hall, officially beginning his path to the Marquis Level.

The aircraft carrying Captain Zhao Zheng turned into a streak of light and quickly disappeared beyond the horizon, speeding toward the direction of the Kindling Hall.

However, almost at the same time he left the scope of Changning City, the internal organization of the Shadow received precise intelligence regarding his successful condensation of the Primordial Spirit and his imminent entry into the Marquis Level Realm.

This piece of intelligence arrived at just the right time.

An Shadow Marquis Level assassin with the code name "Viper Fang" happened to be hiding near the only path Captain Zhao Zheng had to take to the Kindling Hall.

The Shadow headquarters acted decisively; an encrypted command was instantly transmitted to Viper Fang's receiver: target Captain Zhao Zheng, quasi-Marquis Level, intercept and kill immediately, prevent him from reaching the Kindling Hall!

Upon receiving the mission, Viper Fang revealed a cold, ferocious grin on his face.

He immediately emerged quietly from his hidden underground bunker, his figure blending into a desolate valley area with complex terrain.

The aura around his body was restrained to the extreme, like a rock devoid of life, quietly waiting for the arrival of his prey.

Having carefully calculated the flight path, he selected the most suitable location for an ambush — this was a narrow airspace with towering cliffs on both sides, where the aircraft had to slow down to pass safely.

Not long after, Captain Zhao Zheng's aircraft entered this ambush airspace as expected.

Inside the cabin, Captain Zhao Zheng seemed to perceive a kind of indescribable dangerous aura; he frowned slightly and subconsciously manipulated the aircraft to slightly increase the energy output of the shield.

At this very moment!

A cold, sharp, snake-like Mental Energy impact struck the aircraft's defensive force field without warning.

"Hum —" A piercing alarm sounded in the cockpit, the shield flickered violently, in imminent danger.

Following closely behind was a pale green energy beam condensed to the extreme, which precisely and ruthlessly penetrated the most unstable area of the shield's oscillation.

"Boom!"

The tail engine of the aircraft instantly exploded into a ball of fire, the entire fuselage lost balance, spinning and falling rapidly toward the desolate valley below.

The cabin door was forcibly blasted open by a burst of True Essence before the violent impact with the ground, and a somewhat disheveled figure shot out from within — it was Captain Zhao Zheng.

His body was surrounded by the Primordial Spirit Power that he had just condensed and had not yet stabilized, barely offsetting the impact of the explosion and the fall.

Amidst the swirling dust, he landed steadily at the bottom of the valley, his robes torn and stained with dust, but his eyes scanned the direction of the attack source sharply.

A twisted shadow slowly condensed and took shape in front of him, finally turning into a figure entirely wrapped in black scale-like tight-fitting clothing, revealing only two sinister vertical pupils, staring fixedly at Captain Zhao Zheng.

The aura belonging to the Marquis Level was like a cold tide, spreading wantonly, locking onto the target with clear killing intent.

"Shadow ———— Marquis Level?" Captain Zhao Zheng's voice carried a hint of deliberately feigned hoarseness and suspicion, and a look of panic flashed across his face at the right moment.

However, beneath the suspicion, in the depths of his eyes, it was as calm as a deep pool, without a trace of genuine fear; on the contrary, it was as if he had anticipated this long ago.