Chapter 591: 592: Escape by Cicada’s Shell
However, it seemed that Ke Xiangnan did not really respect his elder brother, shaking the water droplets from his head: “You better mind your own business, my crossing through the Heavenly Gate is a done deal, don’t think that just because father has gone to the Original World, you can arrange my affairs without constraint.”
Hearing his younger brother’s words, Ke Xiangdong shrugged helplessly: “I didn’t mean that.”
“It’s best if you don’t. I’ll handle Lin Zhen’s matter myself. You should know that the technique I practice comes from the Original World, which father obtained through great hardship. Therefore, the only ones who can compare with me are the geniuses from the Original World. Within the New World, no one can surpass me within the Black Hole Period.”
“Alright, good luck.”
Ke Xiangnan stood up and walked out directly.
Ke Xiangdong watched his brother’s retreating figure, and his expression darkened.
“Xiangnan has an extraordinary talent, but he hasn’t suffered setbacks. Lin Zhen could be a difficult hurdle for him if not handled properly, but since I am here, I will definitely help him clear the obstacles.”
“Si Renjie and Tian Haoyu are World Kings, and their days remaining here are numbered. Lin Zhen, when you no longer have their protection, I’d like to see what you can use to compete with Xiangnan!”
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Days at the Heavenly Gate passed quickly, especially for someone like Lin Zhen who devoted all his energy to expanding his Dark Star Space.
With two World Kings around, no one dared to provoke Lin Zhen, making this period the most relaxed time for him.
The difficulty of the Heavenly Gate gradually discouraged many people.
From the time Lin Zhen arrived, teams of 10,000 were gradually reduced starting from 200,000 kilometers away.
Tens of thousands of kilometers, thousands of kilometers….
Although World Kings face the most pressure when crossing the Heavenly Gate, those who can cultivate to this level are all exceptional talents, so the number of World Kings also began to decrease rapidly.
One by one, the older World Kings left, and when Lin Zhen had been here for fifty years, Si Renjie made a breakthrough, successfully leaping over the Heavenly Gate and entering the Original World.
Before leaving, Si Renjie felt that he would succeed this time and bid farewell to Lin Zhen and Tian Haoyu.
“Tian Haoyu, I’m leaving. Both of you must be careful here. So far, both Ke Xiangnan and Lin Zhen have not passed, and the competition is still ongoing.”
“Don’t worry, as long as I’m here, Lin Zhen’s safety won’t be an issue.”
Tian Haoyu patted his chest in assurance, and Si Renjie successfully left.
After Si Renjie left, Ke Xiangnan began his next charge.
Over the years, Ke Xiangnan had charged twice, reaching 620,000 kilometers in height the first time and 750,000 kilometers the second time.
His 750,000 kilometers had already set a record for the Black Hole Period here, and the third charge by Ke Xiangnan attracted everyone’s attention.
Under everyone’s gaze, Ke Xiangnan’s third charge reached 890,000 kilometers!
He was close to reaching the summit!
Lin Zhen was not affected by Ke Xiangnan; he continued practicing at his own pace, for he could see that Ke Xiangnan was at the end of his rope!
Although he had reached 890,000 kilometers, Ke Xiangnan was clearly doing his utmost. Obviously, he was not satisfied with this result, and his original plan was to reach 900,000 kilometers so that he could summit in one go next time.
There is a huge difference between 890,000 and 900,000 kilometers; if he did not reach 900,000 this time, he would not be able to reach 1,000,000 next time!
So Lin Zhen could see that Ke Xiangnan was already restless.
“Hmph! Are you trying to show off to me with each performance? Don’t you know that the more you do this, the more it reveals your insecurity?”
After fifty years of cultivation, Lin Zhen’s dantian energy had completed about one-third of its expansion, and it was estimated that it would take another hundred years to ignite the second Yue Bei star.
“As long as I am given another hundred years, that will be enough….”
Time slowly passed, and soon it was the 260th year since the opening of the Heavenly Gate.
Although there were still 10,000 teams lined up, the number of people waiting in line had been reduced to just a few hundred kilometers.
Even ordinary martial artists could charge almost every year now.
At this point, there was no more money to be made for the front row World Kings, as no one was willing to spend a large sum of money to continue buying charging opportunities.
Many World Kings stayed only because they wanted to earn money and accumulate wealth for their journey to the Original World. When there was no longer any point in staying, they left.
Most of the World Kings left at this time; some went to the Original World, while others felt that they had no chance and simply chose to give up.
World Kings have a lifespan of 10,000 years; even if they ultimately do not go to the Original World, staying in the New World to enjoy ten thousand years is still a very comfortable thing.
Among these World Kings leaving was Tian Haoyu.
“Lin Zhen, I’m leaving too. If I don’t go to the Original World now, I’m afraid I’ll never have the chance to catch up with Ke Jianglong.”
Tian Haoyu also bid farewell to Lin Zhen.
“Go ahead, I’m still counting on you to pave the way for me at the Fire Kirin Clan.”
“After I leave, be cautious about everything. With the World King Powerhouse gone, those Territory Kings will have no restraint. You should know, Ke Xiangnan’s brother is also a powerful Territory King.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Tian Haoyu nodded, went to the starting point of the charge, sprinted through a million kilometers of Heavenly Gate, and headed straight to the Original World!
“Just ten more years… In ten years, I’ll be able to ignite Yue Bei.”
As Lin Zhen prepared to continue his cultivation, he saw several Territory Kings around him looking at him maliciously.
He halted his movements, realizing that these people were eyeing his front-row position. He had previously occupied Si Renjie’s spot, and now that Tian Haoyu had left, the two available front-row spots attracted covetous eyes from many.
Lin Zhen didn’t feel any attachment and immediately turned to walk away. Whoever wanted to sit in that position could do so. Regardless, he wasn’t planning to charge right now, and cultivating anywhere would be the same.
Just after taking two steps, the communication system of Dimensional Universe suddenly rang, and a message arrived.
The sender of the message was Zhu Lingshan.
“Lin Zhen, leave quickly! Ke Xiangdong wants to deal with you. I saw him bringing people to your side!”
Lin Zhen was shocked, never expecting Ke Xiangdong to be so decisive. As soon as Tian Haoyu left, he immediately brought people over.
It seemed that staying at the Heavenly Gate was no longer an option.
Lin Zhen was extremely annoyed. If it were not for the interference, he would only need ten more years, and he could easily have over 100,000 Star Power and jump through the Heavenly Gate. However, his opponents wouldn’t even give him that much time.
“Leave! Leave now and find a place to cultivate for ten years before coming back.”
Lin Zhen was well aware that he currently had no way to face Territory Kings like Lord Tianfang, who could only be considered weak among the Territory Kings.
As for Ke Xiangdong, who possessed the Fire Kirin Bloodline, he was undoubtedly a powerhouse and Lin Zhen had no chance of fighting back.
Lin Zhen left the front row and dashed towards the exterior of the wine-red Star Nebula!
As soon as he left, Ke Xiangdong arrived with four or five Territory Kings.
“Where’s Lin Zhen?”
“He just left, less than a minute ago.” someone replied.
“Less than a minute? He couldn’t have gone far. Chase!”
The Territory Kings immediately pursued Lin Zhen outside the wine-red Star Nebula, but catching up with him was not a simple task.
Just when they were a minute late in chasing, they saw Lin Zhen’s spaceship speeding away.
“Brother Dong, Lin Zhen got away.”
“Keep chasing! You guys drive the spaceships and take turns catching up.”
“But Brother Dong, it seems pointless. He’s always traveling within parallel universes. Our chances of catching up to him are almost negligible.”
“No, it makes sense. I’ve been observing Lin Zhen for a long time, and he’s been constantly cultivating a technique. Although I don’t know what he’s cultivating, his progress suggests that he’s not far from success.”
Ke Xiangdong quickly analyzed: “Once Lin Zhen succeeds, my brother will lose. However, such cultivation requires a peaceful mind. He wouldn’t be able to cultivate while escaping your pursuit. So, what I ask is not to capture him, but to prevent his breakthrough. As long as he doesn’t break through, Xiangnan has hope.”
As he spoke, Ke Xiangdong held up several fingers: “Ten years! It’s best if you can kill him, but at least delay him for ten years. I guarantee that Xiangnan will be able to enter the Original World. By then, your mission will be over.”
“Alright, Brother Dong, since you said so, we’ll definitely do our best. Lin Zhen can’t run away either. We’ll take turns chasing with our spaceships. There’s no way he has an endless supply of energy blocks.”
After the Territory Kings agreed, they immediately drove their spaceships and pursued.
This mission wasn’t too difficult; they thought they could at least delay Lin Zhen.
After the Territory Kings left, Ke Xiangdong returned to Heavenly Gate and let out a long sigh.
This wasn’t the best outcome, but it was acceptable. Lin Zhen had failed this time, and his mental state would be affected. He’d likely never recover and miss his chance to enter the Original World.
Ke Xiangdong returned to Heavenly Gate with peace of mind and soon ran into Ke Xiangnan.
“I heard Lin Zhen ran away?”
“Yes, he probably gave up because he couldn’t compete with you.”
“Hmph! Do you take me for an idiot? But even if he stayed, the title of best amongst the Fire Kirin Clan during the Black Hole Period wouldn’t belong to him.”
Although Ke Xiangnan said this, he did visibly relax. Without Lin Zhen’s pressure, he was confident he could pass through the Heavenly Gate.
Ke Xiangdong smiled and patted his shoulder, “Then allow me to congratulate you in advance!”
The two gradually walked away.
Not long after they left, a Wolf Clan Martial Artist at the end of the queue for the Black Hole Period raised his head and stared sharply at their retreating figures with a penetrating gaze.
If it were someone familiar with Lin Zhen, they would have recognized his gaze.
The one who had fled was merely his clone. During the escape, Lin Zhen’s real body had used a transformation technique to disguise himself as a Wolf Clan Martial Artist and secretly remained behind. He had never left.