A Palm Revealed the Stars

That night, after Zhong Shan had sent Xu San away, Lu Yin returned to the tree outside the military tent and looked up at the sky.

The apocalypse had purified Earth's air, allowing him to see more stars.

For days, he had been practicing the Heavenly Star Art. Mimicking the movement of the stars was no easy feat, and Lu Yin had been completely clueless. But today, after touching Zhou Shan's slash mark, he had vaguely sensed the power Zhou Shan had wielded in his battle against Aoton. The feeling had stirred something in him, and he stared intently at the night sky.

As more time passed, the noise in his ears gradually faded. The other stars in his vision slowly disappeared too, until only one moon remained, shining brightly.

Its light illuminated the night sky—and Lu Yin—until nothing else existed in his eyes.

Without realizing it, Lu Yin raised his hand. Ripples spread through the air, and energy seemed to become visible as it flowed into his body. A hazy star shimmered in his palm. It was the moon, revolving around his hand. With a palm, the stars appeared. This was the Heavenly Star Palm.

Lu Yin's body swayed, and he came to his senses. He stared in shock at the star in his palm. At that moment, he could feel just how terrifying its power was. Though he had nothing to compare it to, he had a feeling that this single palm strike might be enough to astonish even Zhou Shan.

Lu Yin casually dispersed the star in his palm and felt the surging star energy inside him. It was energy he had absorbed without being limited by Energy Crystals, and he could absorb it anytime, anywhere. What's more, his absorption rate was twice as fast as Asta and the others'. That was the Heavenly Star Art. He had finally mastered its basics.

The moment Lu Yin dispelled the star in his palm, Zhou Shan suddenly opened his eyes. For an instant, he felt a pang of unease, but then the feeling vanished. "Was that an illusion? I must have been exhausted from fighting today."

The next day, Lu Yin received word that Saint of Punishment Zhou Shan had personally ordered him to reinforce the Northern Frontline.

The Northern Frontline was the battlefield where Jinling was trying to open a route to the Capital City in the north. Zhou Shan had always wanted to connect Jinling to the Capital City, then join forces with the other six Saints to reclaim China. It was a sound plan, but an incredibly difficult one. Even a single narrow road had taken months of effort, and they had yet to clear even a tenth of the route. Their communications network had long since gone down.

The frontline was vital to Zhou Shan. No matter how difficult things got, he kept his focus there. Nearly half of the fourteen Commanders of Ten Thousand in the Punishment Camp were stationed at the frontline, showing just how determined Zhou Shan was to connect with the Capital City.

This time, Lu Yin, Kang Dafeng, and Luo Yun were headed to the frontline. Luo Yun was the particularly alluring-looking Commander of Ten Thousand, and she had always been curious about Lu Yin.

Leading an army of ten thousand, Lu Yin and the others left Jinling and headed north.

"Rather than reinforcing the frontline, we'd be more accurately described as repairing the road," Luo Yun said wearily.

The army of more than ten thousand had been on the move all day, with few breaks. No wonder Luo Yun was complaining.

The roads were bumpy, and they had to stop and repair their vehicles from time to time. They also had to clear the way, so they weren't making much progress.

Inside another armored vehicle, Lu Yin rested with his eyes closed, occasionally looking up at the sky. As he watched the glaring sun, he wondered whether he could replicate its path across the sky. If he succeeded, his rate of absorbing star energy would double. He felt he was already close to the Probe Realm.

But replicating the sun wouldn't be easy. Perhaps he should start with Earth instead. He didn't necessarily need to gaze at the stars; he could look for videos of star charts from before the apocalypse.

Replicating the movement of the stars was about finding a sensation that resonated with the workings of the universe. Lu Yin had to keep trying without pause.

As they passed through a city, flames burned on both sides of the road, while zombies wandered around and occasionally charged the convoy, only to be cut down by the soldiers' gunfire.

"Take it easy! We only have so many bullets!" Kang Dafeng shouted. The soldiers immediately reduced their rate of fire.

Inside the armored vehicle, Xu San sneered. "The longer this apocalypse lasts, the less useful firearms become. If we don't use them now, when will we? Give it some time, and these guns will be worth less than scrap metal."

Lu Yin looked out the window. More and more zombies were gathering, and he frowned. "Tell them to speed up. We can't let the horde surround us in the city and waste our time."

"Understood, Boss." Xu San answered and stepped out of the armored vehicle.

Soon, the convoy picked up speed.

After Lu Yin defeated Zhao Yu, he had earned a high standing among the Commanders of Ten Thousand. Kang Dafeng and Luo Yun didn't dare contradict him.

Speaking of Zhao Yu, Lu Yin genuinely admired her. She had dared to cross the region alone and had made it safely to Jinling. Not everyone had that kind of courage.

Before long, the convoy came to a halt. The road ahead had been destroyed, and soldiers were repairing it.

Lu Yin closed his eyes and tapped at the air with his fingers, occasionally turning his hand as he mimicked the paths of the stars.

Suddenly, someone shouted. Kang Dafeng charged into action, cutting down zombies as he cursed at them.

Lu Yin glanced over impatiently but paid it no mind.

Xu San exclaimed admiringly, "As expected of a Commander of Ten Thousand. Those zombies ran off as soon as they saw him."

"Tell Kang Dafeng to come back and keep us moving. There are too many zombies to kill them all," Lu Yin said, his voice growing cold.

Xu San nodded and was just about to get out again when he turned back helplessly. "Boss, Kang Dafeng chased the zombies into that abandoned high-rise."

Lu Yin looked in that direction. After watching for a moment, he stepped out of the armored vehicle, his expression grave.

"Boss, what's wrong?" Xu San asked.

Lu Yin narrowed his eyes. "There's no sound."

Xu San thought about it. "You're right. There's no sound of fighting in that building."

"Brother Lu, where did Kang Dafeng go?" Luo Yun walked over and asked.

Lu Yin said gravely, "Stay here. I'll go take a look." With that, he drew his iron rod and headed toward the abandoned building.

Asta's short blade was still in Jinling. Lu Yin hadn't expected the Punishment Camp to return it to him, and he had also refused the steel saber Zhou Shan offered him. He continued using an iron rod instead.

Flames burned around the abandoned building. Even in broad daylight, it looked unusually sinister.

Lu Yin slowly entered the building. He found Kang Dafeng's blade, but Kang Dafeng himself was nowhere to be seen.

Lu Yin stepped farther inside. From his Void Ring, he took out Asta's Personal terminal and tapped the screen a few times to scan the target's power level. An arrow appeared on the screen, pointing behind him to the right, along with a number: nine hundred.

Lu Yin suddenly dodged to the side. White threads pierced through the air and slammed into the wall, leaving a massive crack.

Lu Yin took a closer look. It was a giant Mutated Spider, with six pairs of bloodred eyes that were horrifying to behold. A bloodstained piece of cloth hung from the corner of its mouth. It belonged to the Punishment Camp.

Lu Yin sighed. Kang Dafeng was dead, eaten by the Mutated Spider. He had arrived too late.

The Mutated Spider had a power level of nine hundred, equivalent to the peak of the Earth level. Kang Dafeng had only just reached the Earth level, so he had never stood a chance.

Lu Yin tightened his grip on the iron rod and charged forward. He swept the rod across as the Mutated Spider sprang up on its eight legs, trying to evade him. But in the next instant, Lu Yin disappeared. When he reappeared behind the spider, he brought the rod down, splitting the Mutated Spider in half. Kang Dafeng's undigested body fell from its belly.

The sight was disgusting. Lu Yin frowned and turned to leave.

When he returned to the convoy, Lu Yin told Xu San to announce that no one was allowed to leave the convoy without permission. Anyone who disobeyed would be expelled from the Punishment Camp.

"Kang Dafeng really died?" Luo Yun asked in shock.

Lu Yin replied coolly, "You can go see for yourself. His body hasn't been digested yet. You can still make out who he was."

Luo Yun's face turned pale. A Commander of Ten Thousand had died just like that, without even a sound. If Lu Yin hadn't intervened, the spider would have digested Kang Dafeng too. That was the cruelty of the apocalypse: even a Commander of Ten Thousand couldn't protect himself.

Xu San's face had gone pale as well. He immediately climbed into the armored vehicle, deciding that he wouldn't leave Lu Yin's side even if he died.

Luo Yun also climbed into Lu Yin's armored vehicle, with no intention of leaving.

Lu Yin was speechless. "As long as you stay with the convoy, you'll be fine."

Luo Yun rolled her eyes at him. "Easy for you to say. Who knows what other mutated creatures are out there? I'll be safer on your side."

Lu Yin ignored her and ordered the convoy to keep moving.

"Boss, should we report this to Jinling? A Commander of Ten Thousand dying is no small matter," Xu San asked.

Lu Yin replied coolly, "There's no rush. We'll report it when we reach the frontline. We might not even make it there alive."

Those words made Xu San's face turn even paler.

Luo Yun licked her lips and edged closer to Lu Yin without thinking.

"It can't be that bad. We should make it to the frontline safely," Xu San said, trying to reassure himself.

Lu Yin watched through the window as the convoy slowly moved forward.

"But speaking of it, Kang Dafeng was so unlucky. He actually chased the zombies into that building. Otherwise, he wouldn't have died," Xu San muttered. He thought that talking more was the only way to feel safe.

Xu San had spoken without thinking, but Lu Yin took his words seriously. He abruptly looked up. "What did you say? Say it again."

Xu San stared blankly. "I said Kang Dafeng was so unlucky. He actually chased the zombies into that building. Otherwise, he wouldn't have died."

Lu Yin's gaze flickered. Chasing them. Zombies. The building. Something was wrong. Though zombies had no awareness, they had instincts and could avoid danger. That Mutated Spider was clearly dangerous, so the zombies shouldn't have gone near it, yet they had still fled into that building. Why? The apocalypse had been going on for more than half a year, and Lu Yin had faced danger many times. He knew zombies well. Even if they feared Kang Dafeng, they wouldn't have run toward an even more dangerous creature.