Chapter 108: A Surge Built Over Time, Slashing to Kill with a Single Strike!

No one paid any further attention to the twelve cultivators who had given up.

Because the spaceship carrying Yang Ye and his group had flown out of Earth's atmosphere and landed on an 'island' suspended in the starry sky. The island covered an area of roughly several dozen square kilometers.

As the hatch opened, Yang Ye and his companions stepped out.

It was freezing—the temperature was likely below minus fifty degrees Celsius—the air was thin, and the island's gravity was at least twice that of Earth. Transitioning suddenly from a temperate climate to such a harsh environment, many of the cultivators could not help but shiver as they exited the craft.

Little San, who had reached the late Planetary stage, was the least experienced among those who had come with Yang Ye. Nevertheless, he endured the discomfort and switched on the camera he was carrying on his shoulder.

Yang Ye smiled and patted Little San on the shoulder. "How is it? Feeling miserable?"

Little San shook his head. "I'm not miserable. I can handle it!"

As soon as he said this, those around them couldn't help but laugh. Little San gave a sheepish grin and scratched his head. Twelve years ago, he had been a young fisherman; now, he had grown into a tall, sturdy young man.

This celestial island was dotted with low peaks, and between the mountains lay winding, deep valleys, creating a complex terrain. After Yang Ye’s group disembarked, dozens of figures in black robes appeared, scattering across the various mountain peaks. They were there to record every detail of the Earthlings' assessment.

Long Xiaoqing took Nezha by the hand, leaped up, and flew to the highest peak on the island to overlook the entire landscape. Soon, she spotted a group of soldiers clad in silver-white armor gathered in the center of the island. Lan Xingshuo, whom she had beaten up earlier, was sitting in a chair, looking relaxed. He wasn't wearing his helmet, so Long Xiaoqing recognized him instantly.

"So it's him! To think he'd be mingling with a group of deacons," Long Xiaoqing said, furrowing her brows.

Nezha remarked, "Judging by the runes on their armor, they must be from the Blue Star royal family of the Second-level Star Domain..."

While Nezha was explaining this to Long Xiaoqing, Yang Ye and his group arrived in the middle of the valley. They stopped several hundred meters away, standing in a standoff against Lan Xingshuo and his men.

Seeing Yang Ye appear, Lan Xingshuo stood up and said with a smile, "You must be Yang Ye! You are the name I've heard most over these past two days. However, you are no match for me. If you hand over your beautiful wife to me, I’ll go easy on you during this assessment and let you pass. How about that?"

"Too much talk. Let's fight!" Yang Ye said calmly, gripping the hilt of his combat blade.

It was an elongated, thickened blade, similar to a Tang sword, with a black finish covered in intricate runes. Nezha had spent several months crafting it specifically to suit the characteristics of Yang Ye’s strength.

After Yang Ye spoke, the cultivators behind him drew their weapons and spread out. Ninety-Nine and Da Hei stood on either side of the formation, glaring coldly at the Blue Star warriors.

Lan Xingshuo remained seated in his chair, casting a look of contempt at Yang Ye’s group before waving his hand. He was confident that if Long Xiaoqing did not intervene, his subordinates alone could resolve the battle in a very short time.

Following Lan Xingshuo's order, the thousand-plus Blue Star soldiers gathered in front of him charged toward Yang Ye’s group in silence.

Yang Ye swung his blade. In that instant, no overwhelming aura erupted from him. However, his blade turned a deeper shade of black.

"Whoosh!"

A blade aura erupted, forming a giant sword in the air that slammed down fiercely into the mountain range.

"Boom!"

After a massive roar, Yang Ye sheathed his sword. Though he wasn't entirely sure of the extent of his own power, his intuition told him that this single strike would be enough.

The strike shattered the entire valley, filling the air with dust and debris as the Blue Star soldiers were engulfed by a storm of rock fragments. Ten minutes later, the dust settled. Everyone except Yang Ye and Long Xiaoqing stood with their eyes wide open.

The winding valley had vanished, replaced by a straight, massive V-shaped crater. The ground was littered with severed limbs and broken bodies; even Lan Xingshuo had not been spared.

"This... this..." The black-robed elder nearby was so shocked by the sight that he couldn't speak. All thousand-plus Blue Star soldiers had lost their life force, and the arrogant Lan Xingshuo had also vanished, clearly meeting a grim fate.

"Deacon, have we passed the assessment?" Yang Ye flashed over to the black-robed deacon, leaning on his sheathed sword with a smile.

"Y-yes, you've passed," the black-robed elder replied, still dazed. Everything had exceeded his expectations. He had thought Long Xiaoqing was impressive, but it seemed the man before him was even stronger. How could such a weak race produce a cultivator with such terrifying combat power? The elder looked up toward Long Xiaoqing on the peak.

Having received the deacon's confirmation, Yang Ye scanned his subordinates and frowned. "What are you staring at? Collect everything on them! That is my spoils of war."

Zhou Hun and the others finally snapped out of their stupor. They began gathering the shattered armor, weapons, and the storage rings and belts found on the corpses.

Yang Ye’s strike had been aimed directly at Lan Xingshuo. Even though he had been the strongest, he had been pulverized the most thoroughly. The black-robed deacons would eventually return this celestial island to the Blue Star family. If Yang Ye’s group had failed, the island would have been preserved in the Starry Graveyard as a remnant of a failed civilization, serving as a warning to other races living in comfort.

Seeing the Earthling cultivators picking through the gore—and finishing off any Blue Star soldiers who hadn't yet died—the black-robed elder opened his mouth to protest. But after glancing at Yang Ye standing nearby, he ultimately kept his silence.

Everything was being recorded anyway. If the Blue Star race wanted revenge, they could take it up with this guy.

What was expected to be a brutal battle had ended with a single strike from Yang Ye. The people watching the live stream didn't feel shortchanged; instead, they burst into joyous cheers. A new era was about to dawn for them.

...

"That's enough, let's go!" Half an hour later, Yang Ye couldn't stand it anymore and said in a low voice. Some of the cultivators searching the corpses were even digging through the minced flesh—did they think these Blue Star warriors had gold in their bodies?

They had come quickly, and they returned just as fast. The entire process had taken less than two hours.

Yang Ye and his group boarded the ship they had arrived on and returned to Earth. As soon as he stepped off the craft, Yang Ye grabbed Long Xiaoqing and hurried into the Huaxia Council office building.

Entering an empty room, Yang Ye opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood. That single strike had utilized his absolute maximum strength, leaving him with not-insignificant internal injuries.