Chapter 1297: Star Explorers

“The Dark Star Pirates might be back by an Essence World!” Song Zhen revealed a heaven-shaking conjecture to Shang Xia.

If what he said was true, was it possible that the Essence Ming World was behind the Dark Star Pirates?!

Shang Xia asked suddenly, “Since Star Pirates are great at plundering the various worlds, are they also good at finding other worlds through the chaotic space?”

“Of course!” Song Zhen replied instantly. “Actually, the term Star Pirates is a derogatory term used by the various worlds to address us. We call ourselves Star Explorers... Not only would we look for worlds in the massive sea of stars, we explore unknown areas, conquer strange beastly worlds, and hunt weird Star Beasts. We enjoy the beauty of the endless sea of stars...”

Song Zhen probably carved the job of a Star Pirate deep into his bones and looked proud of his achievements as he introduced. He was so worked up that he nearly got to his feet to cheer.

Fortunately, he recalled what circumstances he was in and quickly restrained himself. Instead of jumping in joy, he simply stared at Shang Xia with a wide smile on his face.

Finally, Shang Xia turned around to look at him. However, his Six Direction Qi covered his features and Song Zhen was unable to see his real appearance.

“There’s another problem that has been bothering me. True Immortal Song, For True Immortals like yourself... Where do you place your soul when you ascend?” Shang Xia finally asked the question that had been bugging him for so long.

Being addressed by his title shocked him, and Song Zhen didn’t know how to react. He didn’t dare to be called like that by Shang Xia, but he also understood that the high-level True Immortal before him probably came from a relatively sealed-off region of space and didn’t know too much about Star Pirates.

Facing Shang Xia’s questions, Song Zhen replied seriously, “There are a lot of ways for True Immortals of Star Pirates to ascend and brand their souls. Some of them came from different worlds, and that is where they branded their souls. Other Star Pirate groups hold several worlds under their command and that’s where they left their souls. As for others... The Star Ship they created is akin to a moving Elysium where their soul remains. As for the rest... Like people like me... We would look for a secluded region and brand our soul into a star...”

“Star?!” Shang Xia gasped, “Do you mean an Earth Star?”

He suddenly thought of the Heavenly Star Palace’s rank six inheritance.

Song Zhen nodded to confirm Shang Xia’s guess. “It’s also possible to brand your soul on an Earth Star. After all, Earth Stars would usually possess some spirituality. It’s a lot easier to brand a soul into one. However, an Earth Star is much too limited and only 1 person will be able to brand their soul there. Moreover, it’s nearly impossible to grow further unless someone is willing to use a lot of effort while paying a huge price to develop the Earth Star into a proper world.”

Shang Xia fell deep into thought and mumbled, “In that case... Your soul doesn't seem to be branded on an Earth Star?”

Song Zhen nodded. “Back then, I had to venture deep into the sea of stars to find one that is big enough and not easily found by others...”

“Is this way of breaking through risky?” Shang Xia asked.

With a soft sigh, Song Zhen explained, “We don’t have a choice. I can only hope that in the endless sea of stars, there are too many Stars and no one will be able to notice the one that I used to advance...”

Shang Xia seemed to understand the concerns as he continued, “So... Is the Star you branded your soul onto your greatest secret?”

“Exactly... That is why even though I am willing to be your subordinate and follow all your orders... If you really wish for me to reveal where my soul is branded, I can only choose to die!” Song Zhen spoke frankly.

Shang Xia chuckled in amusement. “Allowing you to live will depend on whether you can bring out enough treasures that will justify your life.”

Song Zhen was no fool and he quickly replied, “Lord, what do you wish for me to do? Are you planning to get me to betray the Piercing Cloud Bandits or to continue my duties while acting as a spy for you?”

To that, Shang Xia only shook his head while sighing, “I haven’t thought of it. However, what we need to do now is to receive the treasures from the 2 of them.”

After he spoke, he started to fly out of the ruins.

Earlier, he didn’t move from his spot because he was still absorbing the last portion of Seventh Order energy from the ruins. Now that he had refined everything, the ruins lost their worth and he didn’t wish to stay longer.

As they emerged from the ruins, Song Zhen called out loudly behind him, “Lord, please forgive me for being direct, but those 2 wouldn’t be fully loyal to you. Since you let them go earlier, news of your presence might have already reached the Essence Xing World.”

Shang Xia wasn’t surprised at all, but he already thought of a method to deal with them. He simply laughed, “Do you think the Essence Xing World will try to save them? Or do you think the Martial Emptiness Realm experts will personally descend because of what they said?”

“Probably not. They are merely pawns used by the Daqi Dynasty Dayu Dynasty. Since they destroyed the fleet and the world fragment failed to reach the Dachen Dynasty, the goals of the other dynasties have been met. They might feel like the world fragment landing in the hands of a foreign expert might even be the best case scenario.” Song Zhen summarized.

Shang Xia laughed to himself. “Looks like the situation in the Essence Xing World is far worse than they described!”

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

“Lord, you are right. Actually, the bossman... I mean, Gao Takong, the leader of the Piercing Cloud Bandits once mentioned that the best possible outcome for the Essence Xing World would be to find a target to invade. They offered a massive bounty to the Star Pirates operating in the Chaotic Sea of Stars for any information about foreign worlds, but they failed to gain any information in recent years.”

Song Zhen seemed to be trying to remind Shang Xia about the current situation, and Shang Xia’s expression didn’t change after hearing it. Actually, he had already raised his guard when he first heard the situation from them.

No one knew how long he could scare the Essence Xing World with his bluff of being from the Essence Ping World. Or perhaps... They might have already suspected that he wasn’t telling the truth...

“Other than dealing with your Piercing Cloud Bandits, did they work with other Star Pirate Groups? For example... Have they worked with the Dark Star Pirates?” Shang Xia asked.

Song Zhen shook his head and answered truthfully, “I don’t know.”

As they conversed, a broken Star Ship slowly drifted over to their position.

Standing behind him, Song Zhen muttered in a low voice, “Lord, this is the flagship of the merchant group I was pretending to lead and the world fragment should be on it...”