Chapter 1826: Clash At The Spatial Vortex

At the edge of the great vortex in the void...

Two raging torrents that twisted space itself clashed in the void. The next moment, two figures shot out of the surging waves, engaging in dozens of close-quarter exchanges within a split second. The residual energy from their blows shredded the spatial current around them into pieces.

Then, following a final thunderous blast, one of the figures staggered into the void. The other, though still upright, swayed and only managed to stabilize after a short moment. His opponent had already seized the opportunity to put a safe distance between them.

"Well, well, well. Impressive. Truly impressive," one of them yelled, his voice tinged with mockery and rage. "It’s only been a few decades since we last met. To think that one of my former chiefs has grown this much! Seems you’ve been thriving in the Essence Luxuriant World. You must be doing quite well for yourself."

This speaker was Gao Takong, once the head of the Piercing Cloud Bandits and now one of the three chiefs of the Three Fleet Star Pirate Alliance. He glared across the void, locking eyes with the distant figure.

From dozens of miles away, Song Zhen calmed the turbulent inner qi circulating through him and sneered, "I appreciate the concern. Thanks to Sage Shang’s favor, I’ve had the fortune of becoming a high-level True Immortal. There’s one thing I find rather puzzling. After all these years under Sage Yuan Ling’s command, your old brothers haven’t made the slightest progress. And yet you have managed to climb a single rank higher... Could it be that Sage Yuan Ling mistreats his subordinates? Or perhaps you’ve been pocketing all the benefits meant for your fellow comrades?"

Song Zhen’s words, laced with his inner qi, spread across the surrounding void. Even the former lieutenants of the Piercing Cloud Bandits who were leading an assault on Zhu Nang and Star Ships paused their assaults.

Gao Takong's face darkened as a growl left his lips, "Utter nonsense! Hmph. You’ve always had a sharp tongue. Let’s see if your skills can match your mouth?!"

Before he finished speaking, Gao Takong’s original figure faded into a blur. He shot through the void, stepping forward nine times. The distance between them, once dozens of miles, was forcibly shortened with each step. Every step he took amplified his strength and when it reached a nine-fold amplification, he struck at the now-nearby Song Zhen.

Yet just as the compressed space exploded outward, Song Zhen’s figure was torn apart completely.

Gao Takong didn’t rejoice. Instead, his face shifted in alarm. The real Song Zhen had already disappeared. What was destroyed was a mere illusion.

A talisman?!

"Watch out!" Gao Takong shouted, suddenly turning and yelling at the others who were attacking the Star Ships.

But it was too late.

Song Zhen’s figure suddenly appeared behind the other True Immortals. He reached into the void and unleashed a powerful move, the Great Void Grasp.

The once second chief of the Piercing Cloud Bandits, a third tier True Immortal, reacted quickly. The moment he sensed Song Zhen’s presence behind him, he disengaged and withdrew.

Unfortunately for the rest, they didn’t react as quickly. In the blink of an eye, they were caught by Song Zhen’s powerful attack.

Song Zhen’s movement didn’t falter in the slightest. While suppressing the two second tier True Immortals, he continued his dash towards the Star Ship at the side. Both of them were dragged along as they shot towards the heavily damaged You Continent, which was shielded by a crumbling cloud fortress.

Indeed, the only reason the Star Ships had lasted so long against a siege of three True Immortals and over 100 lower-leveled cultivators was thanks to a rank six Myriad Tinted Cloud Talisman Zhu Nang had activated.

Though the talisman was purely defensive, if the second tier True Immortals were dragged into the cloud fortress, with the combined might of Song Zhen, Zhu Nang, and two Star Ships, their fates would be sealed.

In the nick of time, a whip cracked through the void. A whipcord extended forth, lashing past Song Zhen and coiling around one of the captured second tier True Immortals. In a sudden motion, it yanked him free from Song Zhen’s grasp.

The other second tier True Immortal star pirate, however, was not so fortunate. His pleas for help grew fainter as he was dragged into the ruined cloud fortress. Silence soon followed.

Gao Takong appeared just outside the ruined fortress but hesitated to charge in. Instead, he turned and glared at one of their large Star Ships positioned farther back.

"Brother Taifeng! You could’ve saved both of my men, couldn’t you?"

A soft laugh echoed from the void. From the ship that Gao Takong had glared at, a man with a blue scarf around his head and a flippant expression stepped out, a coiled whip in hand. He grinned. "Brother Gao, I already saved one. That’s more than generous. Isn’t it a bit unfair to accuse me of letting another die?"

As he spoke, Bao Taifeng pointed his whip at the third tier True Immortal who had escaped from Song Zhen and added playfully, "Had that man held even a shred of brotherhood, he could’ve saved another. Too bad he only cared about himself. I figured he’d save one, and I’d get the other. That way, both of your men would’ve been safe. What a shame..."

Gao Takong had no response. He could only glare furiously at his subordinate, the third tier True Immortal who had once been his second-in-command.

With the loss of a second tier True Immortal, the balance of power between the factions within the Three Fleet Star Pirate Alliance was shattered. Up till his death, Gao Takong’s faction, bolstered by his cultivation at the fifth tier of the Martial Void Realm, had stood evenly with the former Star Capturing Pirates. Now... The Piercing Cloud Bandits had fallen behind.

Thinking of the rule set by Sage Yuan Ling where the spoils of war would be distributed based on overall strength, Gao Takong grew even more agitated. He shot another fierce look at his subordinate.

Bao Taifeng, watching the exchange, smirked. A glint of cunning triumph flickered in his eyes. He casually added, "Brother Gao, we’ve already wasted too much time here. And now you’ve even lost a man. I think there’s no point dragging this out. Let’s take down this ruined cloud fortress together."

Gao Takong snorted. "Indeed. No more pretending. If that person from the Essence Luxuriant World really intends to come, even if we reduce these Star Ships to rubble, he’ll show up sooner or later!"

Both high-level True Immortals seemed to come to an understanding. Without delay, they launched a joint assault on the already-ruined cloud fortress, shattering it in an instant.

Yet just as the fortress was completely destroyed, a tattered-looking medium Star Ship suddenly burst forth at full speed, charging straight toward the high-level True Immortals.

Naturally, they weren’t going to be hit by a ship. They moved to the sides and pincered it.

Gao Takong stomped thrice, punching three holes, each 10 feet wide, into the hull.

On the opposite side, Bao Taifeng was slightly weaker, but his whip swept across the deck and destroyed a third of its structures.

The next second, their expressions changed and they screamed in unison, “Oh no!”

The ship, once protected by the large Star Ships, had silently built up its speed to the limit. Even after sustaining heavy damage, it darted past them and accelerated straight toward one of the Three Fleet Star Pirate Alliance’s large Star Ships.

"Stop it!" they both screamed, Gao Takong sounding the most urgent.

Yet, strangely, neither man pursued the Hai Continent to intercept it. Instead, they turned and chased after it from the direction it had emerged.

Meanwhile, from the direction where the cloud fortress had collapsed, as the Hai Continent raced through the void toward the enemy fleet, the You Continent, which carried all their experts, rushed at the spatial vortex under the guidance of Song Zhen and Zhu Nang.