Chapter 124: Five Star Core Realm Experts

Everyone knew that possessing purple fire at this moment was likely to invite a fatal disaster, unless one belonged to a powerful family with the influence to protect them from being robbed.

There were at least several hundred people—if not more—harboring thoughts of seizing the fire. Even some individuals from influential families, who lacked the qualifications to enter, were desperately seeking unconventional methods to gain access.

The area around the Thunder Gate was packed with people. Those who held both family backing and purple fire stepped into the Thunder Gate with high spirits. Chu Jie did not rush over, choosing instead to observe. He could not fathom what lay within that space, or whether the entire situation was a trap.

"Boss, when are we going in?" Wu Long asked. Watching person after person enter, he grew anxious. With so many people going in, wouldn't all the exotic treasures be snatched up if they waited too long?

"Wait a little longer. Don't be impatient," Chu Jie replied. He had noticed that the area around the Thunder Gate was the most volatile spot. Many were green with envy over others' qualifications to enter, but purple fire was scarce, and it simply wasn't enough for everyone. When there are many monks but little gruel, conflict is inevitable. The warrior who had met a miserable death earlier was a living example, so Chu Jie intended to find a safer way in.

"Boss, should we just take out the people outside?" Wu Long whispered. With so many people, they would surely harvest plenty of loot. Besides, with Zhou Jie present, perhaps they could slaughter quite a few.

"Hmm, let's not," Chu Jie said. "Killing them will provoke public outrage, and Zhou Jie might not be able to take them all out." Unless there was a personal vendetta, Chu Jie generally disdained the practice of killing to steal treasures.

As they spoke, another warrior attempting to enter was surrounded and attacked by hundreds of people simultaneously; he was killed on the spot, and his purple fire was snatched away. As a result, even those who still possessed purple fire dared not approach.

Chu Jie stared at the Thunder Gate. He had yet to see any Star Core realm warriors from the Blood Slaughter City within the Abyss. This left him feeling deeply puzzled. Blood Slaughter City was full of hidden talents; it was impossible that no Star Core realm warriors had received the news. Furthermore, many of the heads of families in the outer city were themselves Star Core realm warriors, and they certainly would have known. Yet, these people had not appeared in the God-Devil Abyss—or perhaps they had arrived but were remaining hidden. If so, what was their goal?

Just then, a warrior ran toward the Thunder Gate as if possessed, but he held no purple fire. The moment he neared the gate and made contact, a bolt of electricity surged from the portal into his body. Within seconds, his body exploded, his flesh and bones reduced to ash by the lightning, while his soul was swallowed by the gate. Everyone witnessed this scene, and a chill ran through them. If one lacked the purple fire, not only would their physical body perish, but their very soul would be seized and harvested by the Thunder Gate.

Looking at the massive forging materials in the vision and the black flames burning beneath them, Chu Jie’s heart sank. Should he go or not? Wealth is found in the midst of danger; although he would face extreme peril, the rewards would surely be immense. With his current strength, he could not destroy the Luo and Yang families; he had to become stronger.

Yet, how to enter the Thunder Gate remained a problem. He had to wait—wait for an opportunity to slip inside. There were thousands of people surrounding the gate, and hundreds had already taken action. It was impossible to know how many possessed purple fire or how many were waiting for a chance to strike.

Looking around, the major families had mostly already entered. Those left behind were mostly from small families or were lone cultivators, yet they made up the vast majority—likely more than half of all those who had come to the Abyss. And the numbers were still growing; many more warriors were arriving from afar, drawn by the massive changes in the center of the Abyss. Usually, the heart of the Abyss was occupied solely by the higher-ups of the various families.

Chu Jie’s pupils contracted. The number of people had risen to two thousand. With so many, he doubted few possessed purple fire. Most were likely playing the waiting game, planning to ambush those who eventually emerged from the Thunder Gate to steal their loot.

However, among these thousands, Chu Jie did not see a single Star Core realm warrior. Yet, for some reason, he felt a flicker of unease. None of the people who had entered the gate so far were Star Core realm warriors. The temptation within must be incredibly attractive to such individuals, yet none had come forward. There was definitely something fishy going on.

Because Chu Jie and his group were standing quite far from the gate, and most people were focused on the entrance, no one had targeted them. Although a few knew Chu Jie held purple fire, they were in the minority, and his secluded position meant he hadn't been discovered yet. Once people realized he carried multiple pieces of purple fire, he would immediately become a target for everyone.

The Thunder Gate continued to emit an ancient aura. How it had formed and how long it had existed remained unknown. Almost every warrior Chu Jie had encountered was ignorant of the history of the God-Devil Abyss. It seemed as though there was a missing chapter, and some were intentionally hiding the truth. Also, many of the mysterious crystals here contained artifacts—his own Savage Cauldron had been obtained from one. So, what had happened in the past to cause so many artifacts to be sealed within these crystals? Perhaps a great battle had taken place, and the gear of the fallen had been encased in the crystals.

Now, thousands of warriors circled the Thunder Gate, but no one dared approach.

"Is there really no one left with purple fire? Why is no one going in?" someone shouted.

"If we don't go in, the Thunder Gate will dissipate! Those who have purple fire, hurry up!" another yelled.

"That's right, we promise not to attack!" others chimed in.

Chu Jie watched those who were shouting the loudest. They were trying to lure people in to steal their purple fire. But now, few fools were taking the bait. He suspected that among these thousands, many actually held purple fire, but they were waiting for the right moment to avoid being killed at the threshold.

But just then, five trails of starlight appeared in the distance. From afar, they looked like five shooting stars, shining brightly beneath the dim clouds. In only a moment, the five streams of light arrived at the Thunder Gate. The starlight dissipated, and five figures hovered high in the air. Each of them had one or two rivers of stars swirling around their bodies, and an overwhelming, earth-shaking pressure radiated from them.

The expressions of everyone present changed. Star Core realm warriors had arrived, even though there had been no prior word that such powerful figures would come. All the warriors were stunned, staring blankly at the sky.

"This is bad. Star Core realm warriors," Chu Jie’s face darkened. Even the weakest of those five was much stronger than Zhou Jie. He had wondered why no Star Core warriors had shown up; it turned out they were waiting for this final moment.

"Do you recognize any of those Star Core realm warriors?" Chu Jie asked Duan Kun and Wu Long.

Duan Kun focused for a moment and said, "I recognize one. I saw him in the outer city before. His name is Chen Ling, an elder of the Chen family. I don't recognize the others."

Wu Long added, "Boss, that one there is a supreme elder of the Luo family, Luo Feng. If he spots you, he will definitely try to capture you."

Chu Jie looked where Wu Long pointed. High in the air, an elder with a naturally imposing air was likely Luo Feng. He had one river of stars circling his body, marking him as a first-level Star Core realm warrior. Chu Jie had heard that the head of the Luo family was of the Star Core realm, but he hadn't expected them to have an elder of the same level as well. Then again, no faction would ever reveal their full strength.

Fortunately, Luo Feng did not seem to notice Chu Jie, but if discovered, he would surely be hunted down immediately.

After the five Star Core realm warriors arrived, no one dared to make a move. Sensing a window of opportunity, several warriors took out their purple fire and ran toward the Thunder Gate.

"If we don't go now, when will we?" someone shouted.

Suddenly, over a hundred people rushed toward the gate. These individuals held purple fire, which would allow them to pass through safely. Because the five Star Core realm warriors were hovering above, acting as a deterrent, many others dared not move, watching the figures in the sky with a strange, tense atmosphere.

"Hmph." Luo Feng, hovering in the air, let out a cold snort. A stream of light shot toward the warrior in the lead. Even though the man was about to enter the Thunder Gate with his purple fire, the strike caused his body to explode instantly, leaving only a cluster of purple fire floating beside his remains. Luo Feng snatched the fire from the air and tucked it away.

"No one is allowed to enter. Hand over your purple fire, or die," Luo Feng said flatly.

The other Star Core realm warriors remained silent, implying that Luo Feng’s words represented the will of them all. These Star Core warriors were actually going to plunder the purple fire from their hands.

The warriors who had been running toward the gate in high spirits all skidded to a halt. Each wore a bitter expression, looking at the purple fire in their hands with intense reluctance. They had risked their lives to obtain these flames, and now they were expected to hand them over on a silver platter.