Chapter 2188: I Can Do It Again

The moment Shang Xia broke free from the encirclement formed by the three Eternal Golden Boats, he sped with all his might toward the deeper reaches of the Star River, paying no attention whatsoever to the voices calling out behind him.

However, he had overlooked one crucial fact. Unlike him, who had entered and exited the Star River only four or five times and never ventured far from the entry point, the three Star River Stowaways had each roamed those cosmic currents for hundreds or more years. Their familiarity with the Star River was far greater than his.

Moreover, each of them possessed an Eternal Golden Boat.

Able to resist the distortions of space and time of the Star River, those vessels moved through it with terrifying speed, far faster than any ordinary cultivator could hope to match.

Thus, even as Shang Xia raced forward, the distance between him and his three pursuers began to shrink rapidly.

Seeing this, Sage Star Thief quickly sent a signal to his allies. The other two Eternal Golden Boats swung wide, flanking him from both sides to cut off his escape.

It would not be long before Shang Xia found himself trapped once more within their encirclement.

"Young friend, you can’t escape..." Sage Star Thief’s distorted voice echoed through the turbulent currents of the Star River. "Without an Eternal Golden Boat to protect you, your inner qi will not sustain you for long. No matter how profound your foundation or what Eternal Weapon you hold, the Star River’s temporal and spatial forces will soon consume you."

Fang Suo’s mocking voice followed from another direction. "Before long, the distortion will corrode your body. Even with your treasures, you’ll turn into something less than human!"

Then, Zhong Heng’s voice came a moment later, cold and steady. "Your retreat has already been cut off. The deeper you go into the Star River, the harder it will be to return to the Chaotic Sea of Stars. Your best option now is to stop running and cooperate with us."

After a short pause, Zhong Heng continued, sounding genuinely puzzled, "It’s only a matter of leading the way, nothing more. I truly can’t understand why you’re so stubborn. You must know that by now the Chaotic Sea of Stars has likely already been linked to the other Star Worlds. Perhaps even more people like us have already entered it. The Chaotic Sea of Stars is hardly a secret anymore. What’s the point in hiding your location anyway?"

Shang Xia gave no answer. He simply pressed forward, diving deeper into the Star River, even as the three Eternal Golden Boats behind him closed the distance, their formation tightening once again.

Then, all at once, Sage Star Thief, who had been tracking Shang Xia’s every movement, screamed, "Not good! He’s heading for the nearest star! He’s trying to close the distance and he is probably going to trigger another eruption! Stop him!"

The three Star River Stowaways who were already prepared to strike, launched their attacks in unison from three different directions.

But just as they were about to reach him, Shang Xia thrust one hand forward and made a pulling motion.

In the next instant, his flight speed doubled. The sudden burst of acceleration tore him free from the range of the three Eternal Golden Boats and even severed their lock on his presence. All three of their attacks missed completely.

That was the third form of his Seven Star Mace Technique, Guided Dipper!

In all his previous battles against the Star River Stowaways, Shang Xia had never used that move, mainly because, after losing the Dipper Star Formation, he feared its power would be greatly diminished.

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

But as he fled deeper into the Star River, he found that the closer he drew to the nearest star, the stronger his resonance became with it when channeling his inner qi.

No, perhaps not just with that one star, but with every star scattered across the Star River. His connection to them was stronger than it had ever been within the Chaotic Sea of Stars.

The reason was uncertain. Perhaps it was the nature of the Star River itself, or the presence of temporal distortions, or simply proximity, but Shang Xia had no time to consider them all. What mattered was that the unexpected bond had erased one of his greatest concerns.

And indeed, just as he had hoped, when he unleashed Guided Dipper, the move drew power from a star in the distance, dramatically amplifying his speed and tearing him from pursuit.

Not stopping there, Shang Xia immediately began his counterattack.

Perhaps because of his closer proximity to the blazing star, when he invoked his martial intent again, not only did he feel the connection clearly, but even the three behind him could see it. An enormous, incandescent beam erupted from the star’s surface, shaped uncannily like a human ear.

The next second, the Star River began to stir.

Moments later, that disturbance deepened, building in power, until finally it exploded into chaos.

"It’s happening again!" Sage Star Thief’s furious voice cracked with frustration as he watched the river ahead rise and churn violently. With no choice left, he abandoned the chase, hastily turning his Eternal Golden Boat to flee from the oncoming tide of horrifying energy.

The other two didn’t need to be told. Seeing the same ominous surge, they too reversed course and sped away as fast as they could.

Ordinarily, Shang Xia would have done the same, turning back to flee and perhaps even reaching the region near his entry point before the tide came crashing down, allowing him to reenter the Chaotic Sea of Stars.

But this time, he hesitated. He knew they were desperate to find their way into the Chaotic Sea of Stars, and their persistence made that much clearer.

He had already escaped their encirclement three times by sheer luck. If he entered the Star River again, there was no telling how many more stowaways might be waiting for him next time.

He couldn’t rely on luck forever. And more importantly, he had no time to waste, he needed to reconstruct the Dipper Star Formation within the Star River as soon as possible. He needed to lay the final foundation for his breakthrough to the Eight Trigram Realm.

Watching the violent surges of the Star River grow stronger and stronger, Shang Xia clenched his jaw. Instead of fleeing, he turned and sped straight toward the source of the swelling tide, rushing at the star he had just awakened.