Chapter 2171: I’M BAAACK

Sage Star Thief’s words silenced Shang Xia temporarily, yet within that silence, countless thoughts flashed through his mind. It was as if, in that instant, most of the mysteries that had puzzled him for so long were suddenly half-solved.

However, Shang Xia’s silence caused the distant Sage Star Thief’s eyes to narrow slightly. His tone, though, remained calm and unhurried. “This old man knows that you still hold some reservations toward me, young friend. Yet after all that I’ve said, my sincerity should be evident enough. Still, I must remind you about that piece of Starlight Curtain you are currently refining. Without external aid to resist the erosion of the Star River, relying solely on your cultivation will inevitably cause irreversible damage to your lifespan.”

As he spoke, his expression grew even more earnest. “If you trust me, young friend, you could instead take this spare piece of Starlight Yarn I washed long ago. It will save you from wasting your vitality here in the river while you try to make the Starlight Curtain.”

Seeing that Shang Xia remained unmoved, Sage Star Thief sighed lightly, “If you still harbor doubts, young friend, you may return to the Chaotic Sea of Stars first. Let us take today’s meeting as nothing more than a fated encounter. Should we meet again one day, we can share wine and laughter then.”

After speaking, Sage Star Thief cupped his hands toward Shang Xia. The Eternal Golden Boat beneath his feet unfurled its sail made of the Starlight Curtain that billowed even without wind. Slowly, the vessel began to turn in the Star River and drifted farther and farther away.

Yet Shang Xia, watching the ship that seemed to recede into the distance, continued to stand motionless amidst the Star River. No one knew how long he stood there. The Eternal Golden Boat gradually faded from view, yet the faint glimmer that marked its presence in the distant river never completely disappeared.

At that sight, Shang Xia let out a cold laugh.

Just then, the voice of Sage Star Thief echoed across the Star River in a long sigh. “Why must you do this, young friend? You need only return and act as if nothing happened. My only goal is the Chaotic Sea of Stars. I have treated you with nothing but sincerity and never harbored ill intent. What you’re doing now puts me in a difficult position.”

Shang Xia looked toward the Eternal Golden Boat, which was still circling in the distance and remained within his sight, and said with a cold sneer, “I may not know how you managed to find this place yet still cannot pinpoint the exact coordinates of the Chaotic Sea of Stars, nor do I know whether your intent in entering it is good or evil. But I have no desire to earn the title of a guide for someone like you.”

Sage Star Thief’s voice dropped low. “Do you think that if you refuse to open the border leading to the Chaotic Sea of Stars, I would be unable to find it? I merely wish to avoid wasting unnecessary time.”

Shang Xia gave a short, cold laugh. “If that’s the case, then perhaps you should wait until I leave. You can head there yourself then.”

Sage Star Thief gave a sharp snort but said no more. Shang Xia, however, never looked away from that faintly colored speck in the distance.

After a moment, Shang Xia suddenly said, “I’m curious about something. You mentioned earlier that you entered the Chaotic Sea of Stars over 1,000 years ago. Why, then, can you no longer find the path to it now?”

Sage Star Thief did not answer immediately. After a brief silence, he finally replied, “You should be able to guess. I entered the Chaotic Sea of Stars from another Star Sea World. In fact, over a dozen other Eternal Golden Boats and their stowaways did the same. We all breached the barrier between Star Sea Worlds by using the coordinates left behind by the Heaven Observation Sect, connecting neighboring Star Sea Worlds to the Chaotic Sea of Stars.”

“As for entering directly from the Star River, none of us ever took that route, so our presence was never exposed.”

Sage Star Thief’s words stirred new thoughts in Shang Xia’s mind.

Yet he quickly frowned. “No, that doesn’t make sense! If you all entered the Chaotic Sea of Stars back then, even if you didn’t do it through the Star River, you could’ve left from the border and continue through the deep void until you enter the Star River. Surely you all had some way to locate it again. I can’t believe that not one of you thought of that.”

Sage Star Thief chuckled. “It seems you truly know little about the secrets of that era! There were two reasons we couldn’t locate the Chaotic Sea of Stars again. First, we were outsiders, stowaways from other Star Sea Worlds. Unlike the native cultivators of the Chaotic Sea of Stars, we couldn’t use our own inner qi to anchor ourselves to our world. Second, when the Heaven Observation Sect guided us, they helped us breach the void between worlds using the Eternal Golden Boats themselves as rams. That collision damaged the boats, leaving them wedged between the Star Sea Worlds. None of us truly entered the Chaotic Sea of Stars.”

“Afterward, fearing that our Eternal Golden Boats might be torn apart, we were forced to retreat, pulling our vessels back to their original worlds. Thus, we lost any chance to directly access the Star River from the Chaotic Sea of Stars.”

Shang Xia nodded. “That makes sense now.”

Sage Star Thief chuckled in a low voice, “In the Star River, I can’t gauge your cultivation precisely. But the fact that you’ve endured the erosion for this long without aid truly commands my respect. Still, I wonder, how much longer can you last?”

Shang Xia answered, “Why not keep waiting, then? See if my strength truly burns out, forcing me back into the Chaotic Sea of Stars. If that happens, you’ll have your chance to follow right behind.”

“Ah...” Sage Star Thief sighed, “We were having such a pleasant conversation before. Why must you push me so far?”

The moment his voice faded, the once-peaceful Star River surrounding Shang Xia suddenly began to rumble.

It turned out that while the two had been talking, Sage Star Thief had been setting his trap in secret. The boiling currents formed a massive ring around Shang Xia, sealing him within.

To Shang Xia, the sensation was overwhelming. The blazing torrent of the Star River, composed of the light of billions of stars, surged around him as if to cook him alive.

Worse still, the turbulence made the power of space and time surge wildly. It began to breach the barrier around Shang Xia created by his martial intents, stripping away his vitality and lifespan in great waves.

Yet even under Sage Star Thief’s premeditated assault, Shang Xia remained composed.

Though his life force and years ebbed away with every breath, there was not a trace of panic on his face.

Sage Star Thief’s voice echoed once more. “Don’t force yourself, young friend. The Chaotic Sea of Stars doesn’t belong to you alone. It won’t be destroyed just because you lead one Star River wanderer inside. Why waste your life and vitality?”

As he spoke, the Eternal Golden Boat, previously a distant flicker of color on the river, suddenly surged across the vast distance and reappeared close to Shang Xia once again.