Chapter 2169: Star Rinsing Muslin and Illegal Immigrant (yes, we're back)

Outside the Aligned Star Region, Shang Xia could faintly sense that after his departure, several more Sages had gathered with Sage Nan Fu. Judging by the auras they released, each of them was at least high-level Sages.

He sighed softly to himself, "I wouldn’t have thought that the Aligned Star Region actually has more high-level Sages than the Towering Star Region."

Anyway, he was merely making a passing remark.

Though his journey through the Aligned Star Region had revealed many strange mysteries, several of which intrigued even him, Shang Xia had no time to investigate further. Fortunately, he had absorbed and stored plenty of origin qi within the Crimson Soul Tablet during his time in the Pagoda Forest. The stockpile would allow him to remain in the Star River for a long while.

After leaving, Shang Xia traveled swiftly to the edge of the Chaotic Sea of Stars. After a short rest, he ventured once more into the depths of the starry void.

Though the journey remained perilous, he was far more composed than before. It was his third time passing through the distorted and chaotic space and he had learned its patterns. When unexpected dangers appeared, he handled them with calm precision.

By the time he reached the barrier separating the void and the Star River, he expended very little inner qi.

When he stepped into the Star River for the third time, the power of space and time that battered against him and eroded his life force felt weaker. He discovered, to his surprise, that he had developed a certain degree of resistance to it.

The finding puzzled him. Upon closer inspection of himself, he realized the cause likely stemmed from the Crimson Soul Tablet, or, more precisely, from the qualitative change brought by gathering the eight kinds of origin qi from other Star Fields.

Casting a glance at the inscriptions on the surface of the tablet, he found nothing new inscribed. In the end, his focus remained on refining the Starlight Curtain.

As he had expected, the second round yielded limited improvement. He tried to balance efficiency and quality, reducing time and conserving his inner qi as much as possible, yet the result was minimal.

Fortunately, he had prepared well, absorbing massive amounts of origin qi from the Pagoda Forest. He had also been absorbing and refining the essence of the stars in the Star River the whole time as well.

Though it greatly extended the duration he could remain within the Star River, his reserves were still draining. He couldn’t stay forever.

After completing the second refinement of the Star Veil, he immediately began a third, then a fourth, a fifth, and then a sixth...

Originally, he had estimated that he would be able to refine the Starlight Yarn three times each time he entered the Star River, leaving a small fraction of inner qi in reserve for emergencies.

Yet now, after completing six rounds, though his inner qi was diminished, the Crimson Soul Tablet still held some stored energy. Shang Xia paused his refinement and turned fully to convert the remaining origin qi into inner qi.

The process was grueling. Each moment within the Star River drained more of his inner qi than he could recover, but at least the balance had shifted from loss toward equilibrium.

Enduring the erosion from the power of space and time of the Star River remained a painful task.

Even though his fourth and seventh martial intent touched upon the powers of space and time, granting him partial resistance to the erosion, comparing them to the might of the Star River was like comparing a firefly to the moon!

At last, when his inner qi had recovered to over 60 percent and he prepared for the seventh refinement of the Starlight Yarn, something changed.

Within the otherwise unchanging brilliance of the Star River, a faint glimmer of strange color appeared.

It was tiny at first, but the moment he noticed it, alarm bells started ringing in his mind.

At first, he thought it might be another cultivator, like Wanggui, someone risking everything to extend their life by venturing into the Star River. But as the flow shifted, that tiny light grew larger.

Shang Xia’s eyes narrowed.

It wasn’t a person at all, it was a golden boat sailing through the current!

A strange sense of familiarity arose in him. He recalled that on his very first entry into the Star River, just before encountering Wanggui, he had glimpsed what he thought was the shadow of a golden sail.

He had dismissed it then as an illusion born of exhaustion and stress.

As it turned out, seeing this vessel gleaming brighter and drawing closer, he knew that the vision back then had been real. There truly were ships navigating the Star River. The one he was staring at was massive and radiant, and looked as though it were forged entirely of gold.

Unsure of its nature, Shang Xia decided to retreat.

Yet as he turned to leave, the figure on the golden ship spotted him.

A long-bearded, gray-haired, scholarly-looking elder appeared upon the deck, his voice echoing through the shimmering currents. “Do not be alarmed, young friend. I am Qiu Changsong. May I ask you to come speak with me for a moment?”

Though the sound distorted as it passed through the currents of the Star River, Shang Xia understood enough. He merely raised a hand in polite refusal and turned away.

But the golden ship did not stop, it began to speed after him, even adjusting its course directly toward his position.

He hesitated briefly, then called back with inner qi imbued into his voice, “I still have urgent matters to attend to. If fate allows, we shall meet again!”

His words rippled outward, wavering under the distortion of the power of space and time, but he forced them through by sheer will, pushing the sound toward the golden vessel.

The elder aboard looked visibly startled. When he spoke again, his tone had changed. It was less casual and more solemn. “You must be refining Starlight Yarn within the Star River, preparing to craft a Starlight Curtain, are you not? On my Eternal Golden Boat, I still possess several spare strands of Star Rinsing Muslin that I forged my own. If you would come aboard to converse, I would gladly give them to you. With them, you could avoid further wasted time within the Star River and the erosion of your lifespan. What say you?”

Shang Xia’s mind stirred, he could sense the man spoke the truth, but he was unwilling to step aboard a stranger’s ship without knowing his origins.

“I’m sorry, but I truly have pressing matters. Farewell.”

As he spoke, his figure drifted back through the flowing light of the Star River, retreating further away while searching for the spatial marker he had left at the opening he created.

But even after locating it, he did not immediately exit. He feared the golden ship might follow and trace the coordinates of the Chaotic Sea of Stars.

Fortunately, as he withdrew, the massive boat began to slow.

From afar, the elder chuckled. “There’s no need for fear, young friend. If I’m not mistaken, you entered the Star River from the Chaotic Sea of Stars. And now you hesitate to leave, lest I use this chance to locate your home world’s position, am I right?”

Shang Xia stopped and frowned. “Who exactly are you?”

The golden vessel had now fully halted, keeping a respectful distance. The elder stroked his beard and smiled faintly. “I am merely an old man drifting within the Star River, clinging to life while seeking the path of ascension. You may call me ‘Sage Star Thief.”

“Sage Star Thief?” Shang Xia almost laughed out loud. The title was obviously chosen to conceal his real identity.

The elder seemed to sense his thoughts and smiled calmly. “It’s only a name. Pay it no mind. But may I ask what title others call you by, young friend?”

Shang Xia smiled and replied, “Some fellow cultivators call me Sage Seven Stars.”

“Oh?” The old man nodded, apparently unconcerned by the perfunctory name, and continued, “Then, Lord Seven Stars, tell me, are you truly from the Chaotic Sea of Stars?”

After a moment of thought, Shang Xia chuckled, “Did you not already guess it, senior? But judging by your tone, you seem rather familiar with that place.”

Sage Star Thief did not press him further nor repeat his invitation to board. Instead, he gazed through the golden light, his voice tinged with nostalgia. “Ah, the Chaotic Sea of Stars... It has been hundreds of years since I last departed from there. I have drifted in this Star River ever since.”

Shang Xia blinked. “Only hundreds of years? Yet I’ve never once heard of your name within the Chaotic Sea of Stars. Did you enter in secret?”

The old man paused, then clapped his forehead and laughed heartily. “Ah, I see the misunderstanding! I should have said, the Eternal Golden Boat has sailed these currents for hundreds of years, but within the Chaotic Sea of Stars, or any Star Field, thousands of years must have passed by now!”

Shang Xia’s expression changed sharply. “You mean... Time within the Star River flows ten times slower than outside?”