Chapter 2195: COME BACK YOU BITCH

Fang Suo had escaped onto Sage Star Thief’s Eternal Golden Boat after his own vessel was destroyed and he had been severely wounded by Shang Xia.

Although Fang Suo’s strength was greatly diminished, Sage Star Thief still allowed him to temporarily take control of the damaged rear rudder, forcibly stabilizing the boat’s heading. Sage Star Thief himself concentrated all of his remaining power on dealing with Shang Xia, who had already closed in once more.

Sage Star Thief understood all too well. In a one-on-one fight, he stood no chance. The only reason he had held the advantage during their previous two clashes was because he and his intact Eternal Golden Boat had acted as one. But that advantage existed only when the vessel wasn’t damaged.

Now that it was damaged, the assistance he could draw from it was severely weakened. Worse still, the expert from the Chaotic Sea of Stars before him had already reached the very peak of the Seventh Order, yet his combat strength continued to increase with each encounter. Every time their paths crossed, Sage Star Thief could clearly feel that Shang Xia had grown noticeably stronger.

That was something no one could remain calm about.

And this time, Shang Xia had directly ignored the 4V1 disparity and launched a sudden assault. Judging from the current situation, the ambush was not only successful. It had turned into a merciless beat down.

Of course, such a thought flashed through Sage Star Thief’s mind for only an instant. There was no way he would ever admit he was comparable to a weakling, nor even entertain the comparison.

Shang Xia’s offensive did not relent. The Eternal Golden Boat he originally controlled had long been abandoned. He had never intended to rely on its power. After completing the Dipper Star Formation, the increase to his strength had become terrifying.

Facing the instigator behind every hardship he had encountered upon entering the Star River, Shang Xia unleashed his full power. With a sweep of the long mace formed from the Crimson Soul Tablet, he executed Dipper Vortex, intending to drag both Sage Star Thief and his Eternal Golden Boat into the depths of the Star River.

The boat, which Sage Star Thief had just stabilized, was dragged downward again by a suddenly forming vortex.

At the stern, Fang Suo desperately manipulated the rudder to disrupt the whirlpool that formed, while Sage Star Thief counterattacked.

The power of space and time of the Star River surged toward him and was then controlled through a peculiar energy. The next instant, Sage Star Thief leapt from his Eternal Golden Boat, wielding an umbrella-shaped weapon. As the umbrella frame inverted into barbed hooks, the Star River and the power of space and time it held curled inward, reversing direction to envelop Shang Xia.

The two opposing forces annihilated each other in the void. Shang Xia’s Dipper Vortex weakened continuously until it could no longer affect the Eternal Golden Boat, and Sage Star Thief likewise could not advance any toward Shang Xia.

But in the next moment, Fang Suo, still at the stern, poured all of his remaining inner qi into the boat. The sail swelled, sending waves of starlight rippling outward. Even the turbulent Star River calmed significantly.

Not only that, the rippling starlight did not affect Sage Star Thief at all, but instead dissolved the lingering force of Shang Xia’s Seven Star Mace Technique.

"Oh?" Shang Xia was surprised. He stepped forward into the fading starlight, extending his hand to sense the last traces of energy dispersing.

"Interesting." He praised lightly. When he turned back, Sage Star Thief had already seized the chance to retreat into the Eternal Golden Boat. Together with the heavily wounded Fang Suo, he frantically steered the vessel to flee.

"Unfortunately for you, you can’t escape." Finishing his sentence, Shang Xia raised his mace and pointed at the Eternal Golden Boat in the distance.

In the next instant, the sail, previously filled with energy, deflated like a punctured bladder before hanging limp. No matter what secret arts Sage Star Thief attempted, it would not respond.

"You should not have activated the Starlight Curtain in front of me, and you absolutely should not have dared to wield the power of the stars before my eyes." As he spoke, Shang Xia drew the long mace backward.

The third form of his Seven Star Mace Technique, Guided Dipper!

In the past, this technique required him to borrow the power of the Dipper Star Formation. But this time, what he summoned was Sage Star Thief’s Eternal Golden Boat itself,

Or, more precisely, the sail made from Starlight Curtain.

The sail, which should have been propelling the boat forward, suddenly reversed direction, swelling toward Shang Xia. The already-slowed Eternal Golden Boat came to a complete halt and even began retreating backward.

Experiencing everything that was happening, Fang Suo yelled in panic, “What’s happening?!”

Sage Star Thief’s face darkened. He said nothing, focusing entirely on wrestling back control of the sail.

Fang Suo sighed helplessly, “This is your boat!”

Before he finished speaking, the Star River beneath the boat collapsed again, forming another vortex. The entire vessel slid toward its center.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Having anchored the boat with Guided Dipper, Shang Xia wasted no time. He unleashed the fifth form of his Seven Star Mace Technique, Dipper Vortex, once more.

Fang Suo desperately filled the Eternal Golden Boat with his inner qi, trying to break the vortex forming beneath the hull, but his strength vanished like mud into the sea, without stirring even a ripple.

"Do something!" He yelled at Sage Star Thief.

"Abandon the boat."

The cold reply stunned Fang Suo. "What did you say?!" He could hardly believe his ears.

"Scram!" Sage Star Thief had no intention of pretending anymore. With a single thought, the Eternal Golden Boat expelled the injured Fang Suo.

Once stripped of the boat’s protection, Fang Suo was immediately dragged toward the vortex, falling faster than the Eternal Golden Boat itself. He didn't even have time to curse Sage Star Thief before scrambling to maintain a movement technique strong enough to resist the suction.

But he was severely wounded, and without the Eternal Golden Boat’s protection, he had no strength left. Even exerting his full strength, he continued sinking toward the vortex inch by inch.

Sage Star Thief’s boat, now without Fang Suo’s assistance, shuddered, but Sage Star Thief strode to the railing and placed his palm toward Fang Suo’s back.

"ARGH!" Fang Suo had never imagined Sage Star Thief would be so vicious. His falling body suddenly accelerated as it was hurled into the vortex.

At that moment, a hidden technique beneath Sage Star Thief’s palm erupted. A portion of Fang Suo’s inner qi detonated uncontrollably, triggering a chain reaction in the heart of the vortex.

Fang Suo was nearly obliterated. His body and bones were scattered, but the massive vortex also collapsed as a result.

Sage Star Thief’s vessel was caught by the blast, but he ultimately broke free and accelerated away. In the desperate flight, he even destroyed his mast, letting the detached Starlight Curtain sail be dragged away toward Shang Xia by the momentum of his Guided Dipper.

His boat managed its burst of speed only because Sage Star Thief recklessly poured all of his inner qi into it, forcing it forward even without a sail and despite the damage.

But the price... It was massive. His originally handsome, refined appearance shriveled into that of an aged, withered old man in mere moments.