Chapter Eighty-Six: Beyond the Stars!
May 4th, clear skies.
The Sky Patrol rocked with the waves.
On the deck, Zhou Hun sat cross-legged, bare-chested, eyes closed.
He was beginning his advancement.
At that moment, everyone aboard had gathered on deck. Nezha had also left the Dragon Palace, standing between Yang Ye and Long Xiaoqing, arms crossed, staring intently at Zhou Hun.
Waves of powerful, oppressive energy emanated from Zhou Hun’s body.
Sensing this immense power, an image flashed across Yang Ye’s mind—a massive stellar body spinning at tremendous speed, its surface radiating fierce light.
If he focused deeply, Yang Ye felt as though his very soul would be sucked into that star.
The surrounding star force seeped into Zhou Hun’s body at an alarming rate, distorting the light around him.
Suddenly, a crackling sound like beans frying burst from inside Zhou Hun’s body.
Next, his skin shriveled, leaking thick, viscous fluid.
The process didn’t last long.
After about half an hour, Zhou Hun’s old skin peeled away, his body becoming full and robust.
His body had undergone a transformation—bronze skin, muscle lines smoother and more defined, radiating a sense of beauty.
“Ah—” Zhou Hun opened his eyes in delight, exhaling a heavy breath.
“Commander Ye, I—I’ve finally advanced to Ultra Star! Thank you!”
He stood, bowing deeply to Yang Ye with gratitude.
Yang Ye smiled, “No need for formalities. Why don’t you try out your new strength?”
Zhou Hun nodded and walked to the bow.
At this moment, not a single star beast could be seen within a hundred miles of the Sky Patrol. Sensing the energy Zhou Hun unleashed, they had all fled to distant waters.
“Ha—” Gathering star force into his fist, Zhou Hun grunted and punched.
Powerful star force erupted, striking the sea.
A thunderous boom sounded. Where Zhou Hun’s fist landed, the water parted, forming a massive trench dozens of meters wide and deep, stretching far into the distance.
When the sea closed over the trench, waves surged, tossing the Sky Patrol up and down.
“Commander Ye, I feel like I could crush a mountain with a single punch!” Zhou Hun declared excitedly, retracting his fist.
Yang Ye smiled and nodded.
He knew this was just an illusion brought on by Zhou Hun’s sudden power.
Water could be easily parted, but a mountain was not so easily shattered.
Zhou Hun’s successful advancement was an auspicious start, greatly boosting the confidence of the remaining forty-seven, who were all eager to try.
As for the other cultivators, seeing Yang Ye’s forty-eight disciples, their eyes brimmed with envy.
Those who had given up before were now filled with regret.
“Let’s begin!” Yang Ye said coolly, sweeping his gaze over the remaining forty-seven.
An hour later, all forty-seven had successfully advanced to Ultra Star.
“One hundred percent success rate! My Super 101 truly is remarkable!” Nezha boasted, stroking his chin and looking pleased at the newly advanced Zhou Hun, Mao Li, and the others.
Long Xiaoqing countered, “This is thanks to my husband and me. Each of them has swallowed at least three hundred star-grade beast cores during this time. The ocean’s star beasts are nearly extinct because of us.”
The thought made Long Xiaoqing chuckle.
Because she and Yang Ye had hunted so many star beasts, the hunting vessels hadn’t obtained a single star-grade beast core in two months. Either the beasts were slain by them, or had escaped to the deepest parts of the sea.
Helping his followers refine star force, Yang Ye also gained considerable benefits.
Now, Yang Ye had reached late-stage Stellar level, and his spiritual sense had grown immensely powerful.
After Long Xiaoqing finished, Nezha nodded, “Actually, with so many beast cores and Super 101, we could have cultivated twice as many Ultra Stars. That energy, even when refined away, is still energy. But this way, there are no lingering issues for these people.”
Looking upon his Ultra Star-level followers, Yang Ye grew excited, laughing, “Everyone, are you interested in a sparring match?”
“Commander Ye, you said it yourself!”
“That’s right! If you get beaten up, you can’t blame us.”
“I feel like I can finally defeat Commander Ye now.”
…
As soon as Yang Ye finished, Zhou Hun and the others eagerly prepared for battle.
Yang Ye chuckled, “Don’t think that advancing to Ultra Star makes you my equals! Remember, Dahei and Ninety-Nine are tougher than you, and even they were thoroughly beaten by me.”
“Commander Ye, we’ll only know who’s stronger after we fight,” Zhou Hun replied with a smile.
“Aren’t you all a little too confident? Let’s go, to that island!” Yang Ye gestured to a deserted island a dozen nautical miles away.
With that, Yang Ye leapt and flew toward the island.
“Let’s go! Beat up Commander Ye!”
“Let’s give him a good thrashing!”
“Finally, we can vent our frustrations!”
…
A group of excited voices echoed as they soared from the Sky Patrol toward the distant island.
Long Xiaoqing laughed, “Let’s join the fun!” She grabbed Nezha, flying into the sky like a meteor toward the island. Though she was the last to leave, she arrived before Yang Ye.
Once everyone had departed, Captain Wei Yong, eager to satisfy the curiosity of those on board, launched a drone that circled above the island.
Thuds and crashes resounded.
Yang Ye and forty-eight Ultra Star-level followers descended from the sky, landing heavily in the clearing at the island’s center.
An hour later…
The several-square-kilometer island had been transformed, riddled with deep pits.
“It hurts!”
“Ah—hiss—”
…
Zhou Hun, Mao Li, and the others lay sprawled on the ground, gritting their teeth and groaning.
Only three remained standing: Yang Ye, Long Xiaoqing, and Nezha.
Long Xiaoqing and Nezha were calm and collected.
Yang Ye, however, was covered with bruises, gasping for air.
Looking at his fallen followers, Yang Ye’s eyes gleamed with excitement.
The battle had been exhilarating.
He had fought with no reservations, unleashing his full strength.
Of course, he hadn’t used any killing moves.
Now, Yang Ye roughly estimated his own combat power.
Without using the Solar Gauntlets or Solar Boots, he could defeat four to five Ultra Star-level experts at once.
The reason all forty-eight lay on the ground was that his followers hadn’t used any lethal moves either.
“One day off. You can go ashore to relax. Tomorrow, prepare to deal with those who emerge from the secret realm.”
With that, Yang Ye dove into the sea with Long Xiaoqing and Nezha, returning to the Dragon Palace.
Yang Ye was ready to advance as well.
When Long Xiaoqing absorbed the energy from the dragon corpse, she had left him five energy pearls. Now, it was time to absorb one and advance to Ultra Star!