Chapter 117: Control

Zhou Jie let out a long, piercing roar as he transformed into a streak of golden light, shooting forward like lightning.

Chu Jie cast a fierce glare at Lin Tianyue, angered that he dared to scheme against him.

From a distance, Lin Tianyue gave Chu Jie a sly smile. Although he lacked Chu Jie's speed and couldn’t catch up, a sudden idea prompted him to hurl a crystal thunderbolt—a rare and swift projectile capable of causing a massive explosion.

When the crystal thunderbolt struck Chu Jie, it exploded, drawing Zhou Jie's attention.

With his sharp intellect, Lin Tianyue had already realized that Zhou Jie had lost his sanity, driven only by a primal killing instinct. Now, he felt elated; what was once a death trap for him had been completely averted.

“Hmph, even if I can defeat Wang Shan, what does it matter? I will still outwit Lin Tianyue’s schemes,” Lin Tianyue muttered, ceasing to focus on Chu Jie. Having successfully diverted Zhou Jie’s attention, he knew the encirclement would likely fail.

Fewer than two hundred remained now, and only a small fraction were his allies. Moreover, these people lacked cohesion and were liable to leave at any moment.

Meanwhile, he pondered the whereabouts of the two golden-armored warriors who had appeared at the beginning. Had they restrained Zhou Jie, perhaps all three golden-armored warriors could have been slain.

He was aware that in the ninth terrace, there should be three golden-armored warriors, and that a fierce battle had taken place before his arrival.

After much deliberation, he made a difficult decision—to retreat for the time being. But before leaving, he intended to see how Chu Jie would meet his end.

“I’ve crossed this man this time. If he survives, he will be a threat to me in the future,” Lin Tianyue murmured, pulling his people back to a safer distance as he watched Chu Jie.

As Lin Tianyue’s group retreated, most others followed suit. Soon, the area was strewn with corpses, with only Chu Jie and his group remaining.

A small band lingered at a distance, watching and waiting for a possible turn of events.

Chu Jie, now desperate and fleeing for his life, harbored a burning hatred for Lin Tianyue. If he escaped, the first thing he would do was kill Lin Tianyue, regardless of his background.

Under the watchful eyes of all, Chu Jie dared not summon his golden armor. If it were revealed, he would never regain a foothold in Blood Butchery City. He understood this fully.

Thunder rumbled in the sky as a purplish-red bolt of lightning struck a corpse, instantly igniting five clusters of violet flames. Everyone’s eyes narrowed—could a corpse increase the number of violet flames?

After the five violet flames appeared, many waited at a distance, observing Zhou Jie hunting Chu Jie at the center.

Chu Jie mobilized his Reincarnation Scroll to the fullest. Thankfully, Zhou Jie was not at his peak this time; otherwise, Chu Jie would have had to risk summoning his golden armor.

Chu Jie continuously defended with the Universe Treasure Wheel, while Duan Kun restrained Zhou Jie nearby.

“Chu Jie, run toward the crowd!” Duan Kun shouted, noticing Zhou Jie was fully focused on Chu Jie. Now, only their group remained on this ground; most others had moved far away.

Chu Jie sighed inwardly. The spectators were dispersed in a fan-shaped formation, with no large clusters. The only sizable group was Lin Tianyue’s, numbering barely over fifty.

Perhaps because wielding the Blood Sword drained spirit energy so much, Zhou Jie had not used it recently, and the sword had reverted to its normal state.

Unable to evade any longer, Chu Jie unleashed his Savage Cauldron, Universe Treasure Wheel, and Jade Gourd, instantly filling the vicinity with spirit-absorbing insects. Many of these insects swarmed Zhou Jie to absorb his spiritual energy. It was unclear how they managed this—though Zhou Jie wore golden armor, they still drained his energy.

Despite the heavy energy loss, Zhou Jie was a Star Core Realm warrior, fundamentally different from those of the Spirit Gathering Realm. His internal spiritual energy was dozens of times greater than Chu Jie’s, and he seemed to have ways to counter the spirit-absorbing insects.

With a wave of his long sword, Zhou Jie struck down swarms of these insects, killing many. Those that survived absorbed his energy and became more vibrant in color, as if evolving.

Seeing the insects near extinction, Chu Jie withdrew the Jade Gourd, a jade-green light returning to his hand.

After tossing the Jade Gourd into the Savage Cauldron, Chu Jie summoned the cauldron anew, which grew enormous, shielding his head.

He then attempted to attack Zhou Jie with the Crouching Dragon Blade.

After pouring in a surge of spiritual energy, the blade shimmered as if about to vanish. At that moment, a dragon’s roar emerged from the blade; a colossal dragon coiled behind Chu Jie, its massive head hovering above him.

Chu Jie’s spiritual energy drained rapidly. He bit his tongue to release a cyan pill.

As Zhou Jie closed in for an attack, the Crouching Dragon Blade slashed out instantly.

The great dragon behind Chu Jie roared and charged at Zhou Jie, blocking and pushing him back. Its huge jaws snapped toward Zhou Jie’s head.

However, Zhou Jie’s Golden Armor Tiger God rendered him impervious to the dragon’s bite.

Had Zhou Jie been a Spirit Gathering Realm warrior wearing golden armor, such an attack might have inflicted damage. But as a Star Core Realm warrior, his vast spiritual energy allowed him to unleash the armor’s full power, rendering Chu Jie’s assault ineffective.

From afar, Lin Tianyue observed everything. At first, he coveted Chu Jie’s numerous treasures. Though he had some treasures, they were worthless compared to Chu Jie’s.

“If I could have any one of Chu Jie’s treasures, I’d be satisfied,” Lin Tianyue said greedily.

Stuck at the seventh level of the Spirit Gathering Realm, he valued treasures and external aids highly, as they significantly boosted his combat power.

He waited for Zhou Jie to kill Chu Jie, intending to seize the treasures once Zhou Jie departed.

His group now numbered over fifty—the largest present—giving him a strong chance to loot the spoils.

Lin Tianyue’s excitement grew as he regarded Chu Jie’s treasures as virtually his own already.

Meanwhile, Chu Jie tried every tactic but could not overcome Zhou Jie. His last option seemed to be donning his golden armor and fleeing rapidly. Yet, that would reveal his identity as a golden-armored warrior to all present, destroying any chance of standing in Blood Butchery City thereafter.

Chu Jie’s expression darkened. Glancing toward Lin Tianyue in the distance, he ground his teeth in hatred. If not for Lin Tianyue drawing Zhou Jie to him, he would not be in such a passive position.

Zhou Jie struck Duan Kun’s spindle-shaped treasure, sending Duan Kun flying dozens of yards. At that moment, Wu Long and six others attacked Zhou Jie together, but all were repelled.

A faintly dim star river circled Zhou Jie’s body, his spiritual energy still imposing. Though no longer as powerful as at the start, he could easily handle Chu Jie and the others.

Zhou Jie fixed his gaze on Chu Jie as if slaying him would fulfill a deep desire.

Just as his long sword was about to strike Chu Jie, Chu Jie felt his Blood Dragon Ring on his finger pulse.

His expression shifted as he immediately merged his divine sense into it. Although this was a critical moment, he had tried every method except unlocking the ring’s full power.

Clinging to a last hope, Chu Jie directed his divine sense to the largest golden dot on the Blood Dragon Ring.

Initially, he thought this golden dot was merely a locator, but now he realized it was far more.

As his divine sense touched the golden dot, a powerful suction emanated from it. This time, Chu Jie did not resist.

Simultaneously, Zhou Jie’s figure faltered, seemingly affected.

Chu Jie’s eyes gleamed. He chose not to resist the suction but actively poured his spiritual energy into the Blood Dragon Ring.

Nearly a third of his remaining spiritual energy was instantly absorbed by the ring, leaving him feeling spiritually drained.

Yet, all the energy entered the golden dot within the ring.

At the same time, Chu Jie sensed he had connected to a consciousness—chaotic and murderous, filled solely with a will to kill.

Outside, everyone saw the golden-armored warrior whose sword had been poised to strike Chu Jie suddenly freeze, as if immobilized by a stasis spell.

The sword hovered above Chu Jie’s head, ready to fall with disastrous consequences, but Chu Jie’s gamble had paid off.

He looked up, realizing he had narrowly escaped death. Vowing that next time, no matter what, he would don his golden armor first.

Chu Jie moved to Duan Kun’s side, leaving part of his divine sense within the Blood Dragon Ring to maintain the link to Zhou Jie.

Now, he felt Zhou Jie was completely under his control—a thrilling discovery. He knew this would have been impossible earlier, when Zhou Jie had been at his peak, but now, weakened physically and mentally, Zhou Jie was vulnerable to the Blood Dragon Ring’s sway.

From afar, Lin Tianyue noticed the strange scene—the sword aimed at Chu Jie had halted unnaturally, the wielder’s body frozen. The eerie sight held all spectators breathless, sensing that something monumental was about to unfold.