Chapter 453: The Leap

Chapter 453: The Leap

Outside the stargate of You Guicheng, Ji Xinghuo's appearance did not attract much attention, even though he was a True Dragonhuman.

Yunhuo Liaoyuan's appearance was unremarkable.

While True Dragonhumans were known for their tall and sturdy builds, noble and majestic auras, and arrogant demeanors, Yunhuo Liaoyuan could only be described as average among his kind.

Of course, no one dared to underestimate him.

Ji Xinghuo exuded the aura of a legendary strongman, and his status as a True Dragonhuman was enough to command respect from those below the True Dragon class.

Instead of heading towards the Leap Array, he flew out of You Guicheng.

Several dozen kilometers away.

Ji Xinghuo landed and activated the Starry Leap, and after 20 seconds, a light engulfed his body, shifting him 3,500 kilometers to the east.

Then he leaped again.

The maximum distance for a fourth-level starry leap was around 3,500 kilometers, and each leap required 20 seconds and consumed about 3,000 star points.

With Ji Xinghuo's current star power, he could leap consecutively 12 times.

Then he could switch with Qinghong to take turns moving, and after Qinghong was exhausted, he could continue leaping once his star power recovered. He estimated that it would only take a day to reach the distant Donghuang Sea.

While using the Dynasty's Leap Array would be faster and less exhausting, it would leave a record of his whereabouts.

Ji Xinghuo didn't want his destination to be traced.

The light flickered, and space warped.

Leap!

Leap...

After four consecutive starry leaps, Ji Xinghuo had traveled over 10,000 kilometers away from You Guicheng and was about to enter the fifth leap.

However, as the light enveloped him and he entered the void, Ji Xinghuo's brain felt like it was being pricked by needles. Time seemed to slow down, almost coming to a halt. The warping space channel before him became filled with layers of light and shadows, and countless streams of light transformed.

The Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupil was triggered!

Extreme danger!

Ji Xinghuo saw a future scene where the void channel formed by the Starry Leap suddenly collapsed, as if shattered by an immense amount of seawater. Chaotic energy from the void surged in, destroying everything, including himself.

At the same time, he felt a repulsive force.

This repulsive force was immense, endless, and vast, making Ji Xinghuo feel like he was up against the entire starry realm, against some sort of rule.

The scene froze.

A light circle appeared in Ji Xinghuo's right eye, and a shattered gem, like a glass bead, floated into view. Instantly, over ten thousand star points were drawn out, creating an invisible membrane outside his body to protect it.

In the next moment, the leap channel collapsed, and surging void energy engulfed Ji Xinghuo.

He was squeezed out of the void, forcibly ending his leap.

The scene before his eyes changed.

Ji Xinghuo appeared high in the sky and fell uncontrollably into the forest below, knocking down a large number of trees.

He climbed out of the pit, his face covered in dirt and dust.

The Dragon Pattern Battle Armor had completely exploded, revealing his well-built muscles. The dark golden dragon-shaped tattoo on his chest flickered, and a Vanishing Dragon shadow appeared in the sky, with Qinghong rolling over beside him, revealing her true form.

"Puh..."

Ji Xinghuo spat out a mouthful of blood, his face pale and eyes filled with fear.

"Damn it!"

"Can you even have a car accident with a Starry Leap?" he cursed. If it weren't for the Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupil, he would have been reduced to nothing by now.

His injuries were severe.

While he seemed fine on the surface, his insides were a mess.

Ji Xinghuo felt weak, and the previous impact of the void energy on his body would have been unthinkable if it weren't for the membrane that had dissipated most of it.

He turned to look.

Doomsday and Qinghong had also been affected and were injured, but not as seriously as him. Fortunately, they would recover soon.

Nine You remained unaffected within the Ultimate Dark Magic Ball.

"What happened?"

Ji Xinghuo's face was filled with bewilderment.

He had performed Starry Leaps countless times before without any issues. Why did such a tragic accident occur today?

He flew and sat down nearby, activating electromagnetic oscillations to promote the recovery of his injured cells while recalling the situation just now.

Why did the leap channel suddenly collapse?

Could it be because he had crossed some special space? However, when he scanned the surroundings with electromagnetic induction, all he detected was an endless primeval forest with only monsters and a few strangers; there didn't seem to be any spatial abnormalities.

Moreover, the feeling he got when the leap channel collapsed was sudden, as if he was being rejected by some kind of rule.

"Restriction of the Starry Leap?"

Ji Xinghuo speculated.

"But I've never heard of such a case with the Leap Array," he said with confusion and doubt, thinking of the difference between the Leap Array and the Starry Leap.

The Starry Leap was an ability that could be used anytime, anywhere.

On the other hand, the Leap Array required the construction of a massive architectural structure and a large amount of resources. Both the departure and destination points needed to have the array, and the coordinates and directions were fixed and couldn't be changed. Using the array also consumed aether crystals.

Comparing the two, the advantages of the Starry Leap were too great. It was not only convenient and fast but also very economical.

Something felt off about this.

Ji Xinghuo's intuition told him that if there were two methods to achieve the same goal, and one method had an absolute advantage, there must be a corresponding cost or side effect.

It was similar to the law of energy conservation; the rules of the starry realm would also be conserved.

"I can't use the Starry Leap for now."

Ji Xinghuo was afraid of losing his life, so he rested for a few hours until his injuries had mostly recovered before setting off again.

He was still within the Yuan Magnet Territory, but he was now close to the border.

"Nine You."

Ji Xinghuo summoned Nine You, who was uninjured and in good condition. He instructed, "Transform into a dragon eagle."

Back in Titanium Ring City, Ji Xinghuo had once encountered someone riding a Flame-Aurora Dragon Eagle. Using the excuse of wanting to admire it, he had allowed Nine You to come in contact with it, thereby gaining the ability to transform into one.

Although the Mimic ability had just reached level six, it could only simulate appearance and strength and did not possess the special abilities of the Flame-Winged Dragon Eagle.

However, it was more than sufficient for his needs.

Ji Xinghuo leaped onto the back of the Flame Dragon Eagle, and with a powerful flap of its wings, Nine You soared into the sky like a blazing inferno.

The Flame-Mist Dragon Eagle was an excellent choice for a flying mount.

Yet, compared to a dragon, there was still a significant gap. It was very much in line with Yunhuo Liaoyuan's strength and status and wouldn't attract too much attention.

Flying eastward for several hundred kilometers, Ji Xinghuo spotted a city in the distance. It belonged to a True Dragon family with its own fiefdom, though it wasn't particularly large, with a population of only two to three million. Aside from the absence of a Leap Array, it had everything one would expect.

As the Flame-mist Dragon Eagle flew into the city, the guards saw that it was ridden by a legendary True Dragonkin and dared not impede their path.

Paying no heed to the onlookers, Ji Xinghuo paused briefly before continuing on his way.

He purchased several stone tablets in the city, all of which contained information related to starry space, leap arrays, teleportation, and instant movement. Among them was a book titled "The Road to Leaping," where he finally found the answers he sought.

"So that's how it is!" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed, his face lighting up with understanding as he finished reading.

This book, a specialized study of leaping, provided a detailed comparison of the advantages and shortcomings of leap arrays and starry leaps, along with an analysis of their respective pros and cons.

Just as he had guessed, the starry leap indeed had its defects.

Any individual using a starry leap within a given time cycle was subject to limitations on the number of leaps and the total distance traveled. Should they exceed these limits, they would be rejected by the starry space, resulting in a failed leap. The consequences ranged from having their leap forcibly terminated to being annihilated by the void.

No one knew why this occurred.

Ever since the first anomaly who mastered the starry leap appeared, this phenomenon had been observed, seemingly an intrinsic rule of the starry realm.

Research revealed that the restrictions on starry leaps would gradually ease as one's anomaly level increased.

The time cycle would shorten.

The number of leaps would increase, and the permissible leap distance would also extend.

"The Road to Leaping" recorded very detailed research data. For a level-one starry leap, the usable cycle was 137 star-hours.

Starting from the first leap, within 137 star-hours, one could leap a maximum of 23 times, with the total leap distance not exceeding 600 dragon distances, equivalent to 421 kilometers.

The restrictions on starry leaps would loosen with each level attained.

Currently, Ji Xinghuo's starry leap was at level four.

His leap cycle was 73 star-hours, allowing him to leap 101 times, with a total leap distance not exceeding 22,850 dragon distances, roughly equivalent to 16,000 kilometers.

Ji Xinghuo did the calculations.

Previously, he had only leaped between Titanium Ring City and You Guicheng, a distance of about 8,000 kilometers, which was within the limits for the number of leaps and total distance. Therefore, he had never triggered the starry realm's rejection.

However, after leaping four times consecutively, the fifth leap had exceeded the total distance limit.

"That was close..." Ji Xinghuo was still feeling rattled by how close he had come to disaster.

Most people wouldn't pay attention to or come into contact with the limitations of starry leaps. He had obtained the starry leap ability from Qinghong, and it hadn't occurred to him to consider these restrictions, almost resulting in his demise.

"The Road to Leaping" also mentioned that if one could withstand the destructive impact of void energy, they could ignore the limitations.

However, even a Star Shepherd would find that difficult to achieve.

Perhaps one would need to attain the realm of an Infinite Realm Master to achieve infinite leaping.

"Infinite Realm Master..." Ji Xinghuo recalled the words of the Ethereal Spirit, a realm that seemed impossibly distant.

Back then, the Ethereal Spirit had brought him directly from the Bloody Highlands to the Thousand Peak Forest, a distance of over 30,000 kilometers. From this, Ji Xinghuo deduced that the Ethereal Spirit's starry leap was at least level five and possibly even higher.

"I guess I'll have to stick to using leap arrays for now," Ji Xinghuo abandoned his earlier idea of relying solely on his starry leap ability.

Only now did he understand the deeper principles behind leap arrays.

While both methods achieved the same goal of leaping, the primary function of a leap array was to construct a more stable channel, resisting the rules of the starry realm. The consumed ether crystals served as a substitute for the leaper, bearing the cost and maintaining the conservation of the leap, thus avoiding any restrictions.

Consequently, leap arrays were not subject to limitations on the number of leaps or total distance and could be used without worry.

Ji Xinghuo rode the Flame-Aurora Dragon Eagle for a day and night.

He entered the "Desolate Wilderness Territory," a neighboring territory to the Yuan Magnet Territory, ruled by a Swordspine Dragon King family. He arrived at the nearest city with a leap array, verified his identity, and stepped into the array.

Instead of leaping directly to the Chaoge Territory, Ji Xinghuo chose to take a detour, leaping first to the center of the Donghuang Sea, the "Stellar Frontier Territory," where the Azure Wave Dragon Emperor resided.

Space warped, and the world transformed.

After a lengthy leap, Ji Xinghuo's vision returned to normal, and he found himself standing in an open-air array plaza, surrounded by a pleasant landscape. White buildings and greenery blended seamlessly to create a unique urban vista.

The sky was clear and cloudless, with fluffy white clouds floating overhead, and a moist sea breeze blew in from the distance, bringing with it a refreshing sensation.

Ji Xinghuo seemed to sense something and opened the interface of the Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupil.

His eyes widened in surprise.

The two arrows at the edge of the interface, which had remained unchanged for a long time, now showed a noticeable difference. One of them had grown larger, and its direction had become clearer and more distinct!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end