Chapter 1494: Azure Ruling World and Spirit Frost World Pt.8

Close to the 8 Earth Stars in the Solitary Star Region, Zhu Nang, stationed on the last of three large-scale Star Ships, looked nervously at a wave forming in the nearby spatial vortex. On any other day, it was a powerful wave that would have affected smashed against them. However, this time, it merely caused a ripple before quickly dissipating.

"See, that's the power of a rank four Stargazer!" Song Zhen's voice rang in Zhu Nang's ear.

It was clear that Zhu Nang's anxious behavior had been noticed by Song Zhen, who was positioned at the front.

Since the three ships were following closely behind each other, their defensive formations could also work in tandem, allowing for communication between the crew on the ships without being affected by the spatial vortex.

Zhu Nang retorted stubbornly, "I've seen what a rank four Stargazer can do... No need for you to point it out!"

Over time, Song Zhen had come to understand Zhu Nang's chatty nature and didn't take offense. He continued to explain, "The connection between Young Lady Yan and Grand Stargazer Xin is becoming clearer. Although this journey seems perilous, it's actually simpler than navigating through the chaotic streams."

Zhu Nang, being at the rear, felt considerably reassured. However, he soon thought of something and asked Shang Xia's External Avatar who was stationed on the middle ship, "Lord Shag, how are things over at your end? Has your true body established contact or issued any commands?”

Shang Xia’s External Avatar laughed, "No news has come through, but I can vaguely sense that my true body knows where we are."

Zhu Nang instinctively replied, "How can he know everything if we can’t communicate with the other side?" He quickly realized who he was speaking to and promptly changed his expression to a more ingratiating smile.

...

"You're not planning to take action?" Xin Lu’s voice rang from behind Shang Xia as he looked at the Azure Ruling World from the edge of the floating continent.

Shang Xia turned around, surprised. Instead of answering Xin Lu's question, he asked one of his own, "Have you made contact with Yan Ming? Has the merchant fleet's route through the spatial vortex here been planned out?"

Xin Lu smiled and nodded with a relaxed look on her face.

"That fast?!" Shang Xia first exclaimed in astonishment, then praised, "Truly worthy of a Grand Stargazer. Your skills became a lot better with your advancement.”

Xin Lu moved closer to Shang Xia, standing beside him to gaze at the heavenly screen of the Azure Ruling World for a moment before saying, "Sister Yan had a Star Compass and our combined efforts made it not too difficult to deduce and find a relatively safe and quick path. But the real issue is... The path we found is only relatively safe, not completely free from danger. On the contrary, there are definitely numerous dangers in that spatial vortex, so they will still need to be careful as they proceed."

Shang Xia nodded, "Alright. Do I need to go and meet them?"

Xin Lu raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Are you comfortable leaving here? Besides, you haven't answered my earlier question. Aren't you going to help the Ying Brothers personally?"

Shang Xia looked at her and said, "How do you know I haven't taken action? We are only here to help. If we do everything, what would the Ying Brothers and the Twin Star Thieves do? Moreover, since we want the other party to owe us, I can’t be the only one taking action. Our guys need to help them out too.”

Xin Lu thought for a moment, then nodded, "You make a good point. Besides, it's not quite appropriate for you to personally intervene in the matter of the Azure Ruling World. Considering you need to prepare for the invasion of the Spirit Frost World’s spiritual beast kings and also..."

She paused, pointing towards the direction they once came from. "And there, the Original Stars Corner is likely still in the hands of the 3 Super Star Pirate groups, possibly with help from the Essence Ling Heavenly Field. They’re not easily stopped by the chaotic stream either!"

Shang Xia was momentarily taken aback; he had overlooked the issue because the Ying Brothers had repeatedly emphasized that the chaotic streams in the Original Stars Corner would disappear after a certain period.

After pondering for a moment, Shang Xia asked, "Has someone already started exploring the chaotic streams in the Original Stars Corner?"

Xin Lu replied casually, "Yup."

"And if the chaotic streams in the Original Stars Corner suddenly disappear, what will happen to the people who have ventured into them?" Shang Xia asked with a frown.

Xin Lu shook her head. "I don't know."

Shang Xia thought for a moment, then looked towards the heavenly screen of the Azure Ruling World and said, "Well, I better go and meet Song Zhen and the others first!"

Xin Lu looked concerned as she mumbled softly, "Are you sure nothing will go wrong in the Azure Ruling World?"

Shang Xia smiled and said, "It’s just an Azure World. Do you really think it can withstand a battle that has already exceeded ten True Immortal-level experts?"

Xin Lu was momentarily stumped."Then..."

Shang Xia laughed, "Don't worry, there's still a real fight to be had, and both sides are also trying their best to avoid causing too much damage to the Azure Ruling World!"

With that, Shang Xia nodded to her, and in the next moment, he vanished from sight.

"Even though a lot of his inner qi has been borrowed and his aura weakened greatly, why does his technique seem even more profound? And his entire presence seems even more undetectable. Could it be that he has broken through again? No, that shouldn't be, it hasn't been long since he advanced to the level of Extreme Harmonization..."

Xin Lu pondered as she looked at the spot where Shang Xia had just stood. Shang Xia, unaware that his departure had sparked the lady’s curiosity and attention, had already arrived at the edge of another chaotic stream in the Azure Ruling World according to the direction Xin Lu had indicated earlier.

But once there, Shang Xia suddenly realized that he might not need Xin Lu or Yan Ming's guidance anymore. His connection to the External Avatar left within the merchant fleet had grown much stronger.

Even just by following the connection between them, he could quickly locate Song Zhen and the others within the chaotic streams.

"This also serves as a double insurance. All sorts of accidents can happen in the chaotic streams, and one can never be too cautious." Shang Xia flicked his sleeve, and a specially made tiny Star Ship appeared at his feet. It rushed straight into the chaotic streams.

Due to the connection with his External Avatar, Shang Xia, relying on his own powerful cultivation, could navigate without fear of getting lost. He was able to deviate from the path planned by Xin Lu and Yan Ming. Although he encountered many dangers along the way, he saved a lot of time.

Calculating precise time within the chaotic streams was not easy, so Shang Xia did not know how long it had been when the originally disordered chaotic streams suddenly seemed to be drawn and directed by some powerful force. It gradually started to flow towards a fixed spot, giving some sense of orderliness.

"Have I already reached the other end?”

Although he had no accurate sense of the specific time, Shang Xia felt it hadn't been long.

However, he soon remembered that Song Zhen and the fleet had to first cross a huge spatial vortex, which immediately made him alert. He might not have passed through the chaotic streams completely. Instead, he might have just reached the edge of the vortex!

Shang Xia immediately slowed down. He didn’t dare to ride on the flow of space and instead, he started to carefully feel the connection to his External Avatar. In fact, he also started to move perpendicular to the chaotic streams.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the originally disordered chaotic streams had calmed significantly, but in fact, they were being guided by some unknown powerful force, gradually converging into well-defined spatial torrents.

Even though he couldn’t see the giant vortex in its entirety, he was certain he had reached its periphery.

Just as Shang Xia sensed that he was getting closer to his External Avatar, a sudden intense fluctuation exploded from behind him in the relatively calm spatial vortex around him.

Shang Xia instinctively looked back towards the source of the fluctuation. Although his vision and divine soul were greatly hindered by the spatial torrent, he was certain that the explosion had been triggered by someone.

"Could there be others here? Or is there someone following me?" A flash of cold light entered Shang Xia's eyes. Even though it wasn’t quite possible for someone to follow him, he couldn’t take the risk. He had to investigate the matter.

Feeling that his External Avatar was steadily closing the distance, he turned to where the intense fluctuation appeared.

However, Shang Xia soon discovered that the clearly artificial intense turbulence was being swept up by the spatial vortex, and the strength of the current was actually overwhelming. He was strong enough to overcome the current and approach the direction where he felt the powerful fluctuation earlier, and he quickly discovered the source.

"It's a large-scale Star Ship!"

Shang Xia quickly discovered a starship being swept into the spatial vortex and it looked rather familiar to him. It was one of those which had been involved on the attack of the Twin Star Pirates.

Only after being swept in did they realize how dangerous it was. Those on board were struggling to free themselves from the spatial current. From their powerful auras, Shang Xia could tell that there were 3 True Immortals on board as they attempted to free themselves from the pull of the spatial vortex. He also discovered a familiar figure among them. It was none other than Tian Zhen who betrayed the Twin Star Pirates back then.

By all accounts, the 3 Super Star Pirate groups should be surrounding the Original Stars Corner to search for the Azure Ruling World. However, that was extremely far from the Solitary Star Region and Shang Xia wondered why they appeared where they were.

"Have the chaotic streams in the Original Stars Corner already disappeared? Were all the Star Ships searching for the Azure Ruling World swept over through the chaotic streams?” Shang Xia mumbled to himself.

While still finding it somewhat unbelievable, it was the only explanation that made sense.

As for lending them a helping hand to free them from the spatial currents... Shang Xia wasn’t so forgiving. It was especially so when he considered the extent to which the ship had been swallowed by the current. Even if he wanted to help, it would take a lot of effort and he didn’t have the time or energy to care about them at the moment.

Shang Xia raised an eyebrow and ultimately decided to watch as the ship continued to be swept towards the center of the huge spatial vortex. He left their end up to fate.

After what he had just seen, Shang Xia became even more cautious when looking for Song Zhen’s fleet. After some time, he finally found the merchant fleet traveling carefully through the vortex.

Compared to Shang Xia finding the merchant fleet, Song Zhen and the others were even happier to see him. It was especially so for Zhu Neng, who openly heaved a sigh of relief.

After conversing, Shang Xia learned that Song Zhen and his companions had also encountered numerous dangers along the way. Even though two Stargazers had planned the route in advance and Yan Ming personally took charge to guide the fleet, they still faced several moments where they were nearly swallowed by the spatial currents.

Although they eventually made it through their concerted effort and a bit of luck, apart from the Spirit Ark that was protected in the middle, both Star Ships suffered damage to varying degrees. It looked like they would crumble at any moment.

Shang Xia also briefly shared his experiences after parting with the others. However, when he mentioned discovering a large Star Ship belonging to the 3 Super Star Pirate groups unexpectedly appearing nearby and being swept into the spatial vortex, Yan Ming's expression flickered as if she thought of something.

"Did you discover something?"

Yan Ming's change in expression naturally didn't escape Shang Xia’s observant eyes.

Yan Ming thought for a moment and said, "I'm just guessing that this huge spatial vortex is probably not just eating up the chaotic streams around us. It’s very likely also dragging and devouring the Azure Ruling World in the process."

After Yan Ming spoke, Shang Xia and the others were dumbfounded.

She looked like she had expected their reactions and sighed, "Of course, this is just my speculation. However, it's not difficult to confirm this. After meeting with Xin Lu, we should be able to reach a quick conclusion.”

Yan Ming turned to Shang Xia and continued to ask, "By the way, has Xin Lu made significant progress in her art of stargazing?"

Shang Xia grunted once and snapped back to his senses. "Yes, she has already become a Grand Stargazer!"

"I knew it! Hmph, she actually did it before me!" Yan Ming pouted and turned back to the wooden platform to guide the course of the fleet.

Seeing this, Song Zhen hurriedly approached Shang Xia and whispered, "If Young Lady Yan's speculation is true, then..."

Shang Xia understood what Song Zhen wanted to say and instructed, "We'll discuss this matter after the situation with the Azure Ruling World is resolved. Before then, apart from Xin Lu, don't mention it to anyone else."