Chapter 1345: Tears Streaming Down

In the vast sea of stars at night, the waves surged majestically, with immortal light flowing and intertwining with the starlight and moonlight, creating a dreamlike illusion.

At some point, the serene night was shattered by a series of thunderous booms that echoed through the immense star sea.

Gazing into the distance, one could see over a dozen warships, which, upon closer inspection, belonged to Gu San Tong and Wu Ya Dao Ren and their crew. All were badly damaged and adrift, powerless on the sea surface.

Facing them was a massive warship as towering as a mountain, exuding an overwhelming aura. Its entire body radiated brilliant golden light, each strand carrying the pressure of a Sheng Bing, causing the sea to churn violently.

Ye Chen and Xiao Ling Wa stood on that warship, their faces darkened as they glared at Gu San Tong and Wu Ya Dao Ren and their group. They had pursued them relentlessly for a full eighty thousand li before catching up to these two scoundrels.

“Run! Why aren't you running anymore?”

Xiao Ling Wa stood on the array platform, spitting out words with flying saliva.

“We're not running anymore.”

Gu San Tong and Wu Ya Dao Ren hung their heads low, sitting dejectedly with their followers at the bow of their ship. Our ships are already wrecked—who knows how we're supposed to escape now.

“Nonsense.”

Ye Chen cursed and reached out to grab Gu San Tong and Wu Ya Dao Ren.

“Misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding.”

The two of them forced smiles, baring their yellowed teeth.

“I really love your style.” Ye Chen scolded as he summoned immortal light, sending it into their foreheads.

Immediately, their bodies trembled, and they dropped to their knees with a thud, clutching their heads in agony. They roared in pain, their old eyes blurring as their divine seas buzzed.

Seeing this, their followers all paled, assuming Ye Chen intended to torture Gu San Tong and Wu Ya Dao Ren to death. As their subordinates, they too would likely face the same fate.

Ye Chen glanced at them briefly before pulling out a wine flask and sitting at the bow. “Stay put and don't cause trouble.”

Though over two hundred people felt like resisting, they were immobilized by the pressure. They had every reason to believe that any sudden move would get them blasted to pieces by the enemy's cannons.

Ye Chen said no more, not bothering to explain. He sipped his wine leisurely, quietly watching Gu San Tong and the others.

Xiao Ling Wa jumped down from the array platform and pulled out some Yuan Shi, crunching on it rhythmically.

Under their watchful eyes, Gu San Tong and Wu Ya Dao Ren collapsed on the ground. As the immortal light continued to merge, fragments of ancient memories gradually surfaced in their divine seas, intertwining with their current life's recollections.

After a quarter of an hour, their bodies stopped trembling, and the pain faded. As their memories restored, both lifted their aged faces, their murky old eyes staring blankly at Ye Chen.

“This two-hundred-year slumber must have been quite comfortable.”

Ye Chen looked at them with interest.

“Who knew the cycle of reincarnation existed in this world?” Gu San Tong and Wu Ya Dao Ren burst into tears, their old faces streaked with tears, sobbing uncontrollably. Two hundred years had slipped away like a fleeting dream of past and present lives.

“Your weapons—time to return them to their owners.” Ye Chen waved his hand, producing an iron sword and a copper mirror. These were the divine weapons from their previous lives, still stained with fresh blood that hadn't dried, carrying the weight of ages past.

“Thank you.”

Gu San Tong and Wu Ya Dao Ren took them, hugging their weapons as tears streamed down their faces. Reunited with relics from their past, even if just weapons, they felt an immense sense of familiarity.

“What about the others?”

After stowing their weapons, the two wiped away their tears and looked at Ye Chen with hope.

“I've found quite a few.” Ye Chen smiled. “Once we've gathered everyone, I'll take you back to our homeland one day.”

“Good, good.”

“I say, there's still someone here? This is making me feel awkward.” Xiao Ling Wa, still munching on Yuan Shi, chimed in, snapping Gu San Tong and Wu Ya Dao Ren out of their daze.

The two turned and scrutinized Xiao Ling Wa. It was a dragon, an incredibly domineering one. They searched their memories but found no trace of this dragon.

However, seeing Xiao Ling Wa chew on Yuan Shi, they recalled a chubby little creature deep in their memories—it also loved eating stones, small in size but with an astonishing appetite.

At the same time, they both glanced at Ye Chen questioningly, seeking confirmation.

Ye Chen smiled and nodded lightly.

What followed was Gu San Tong and Wu Ya Dao Ren rolling up their sleeves, their faces as dark as charcoal, and lunging at Xiao Ling Wa. Not long ago, this little thing had sunk their main warship.

Shouts and cries erupted instantly. Both were Quasi-Saints with formidable strength, but Xiao Ling Wa wasn't to be underestimated. The three of them—two men and one dragon—brawled right there at the bow.

Ye Chen ignored it all, savoring his wine and enjoying the entertaining scene.

Soon, the trio stopped, all bruised and swollen, but they leaned against the bow and burst into laughter.

Who could have imagined they would reincarnate? Who could have foreseen that two hundred years later, they would reunite under these circumstances? Just moments ago, they had been chasing and fleeing, quite the spectacle.

The scene that followed grew sentimental. The three sat at the bow, each holding a wine flask, quietly gazing at the vast sky, as if peering through endless years to see their homeland's magnificent rivers and mountains.

This sight left Gu San Tong and Wu Ya Dao Ren's followers utterly baffled, unsure what their leaders were up to—one moment crying, the next laughing, even their fight seemed oddly harmonious.

Still, one thing was clear: their leaders knew this young man and this dragon well, perhaps as close friends. Otherwise, they wouldn't have provoked Tai Qing Gong to save them.

It wasn't until deep into the night that Ye Chen stood up, his eyes sharp as torches, fixed on a section of the star sea. There, waves raged as a large number of powerful warships approached, some even at the Sheng Bing level.

Gu San Tong and the others also rose, peering into the distance. When they saw the fierce war flags on those ships, their expressions turned grim. “Those are Tai Qing Gong's warships, and they're coming in force.”

“Let's go.”

Ye Chen immediately stepped onto the ship's array platform, while Xiao Ling Wa climbed onto the formation cannon.

“You all, come over quickly.”

Gu San Tong and Wu Ya Dao Ren called to their followers.

Though puzzled, the group moved swiftly, boarding the ship one after another.

The thunder warship roared to life, streaking like a beam of light across the vast sea and vanishing in an instant.

Not long after they left, Tai Qing Gong's warships arrived. Their formation was indeed impressive, with over a hundred ships, one of them a Sheng Bing level, and Yin Zhong was among them.

Pursue!

After a quick glance at Gu San Tong and Wu Ya Dao Ren's wrecked warships, Yin Zhong gave the order. The hundred-plus ships lined up and sped off in pursuit, moving at incredible speed.

Ahead, on the thunder warship, Ye Chen enhanced it with Zhou Tian Evolution. He first glanced back, then turned to Gu San Tong and the others. “It seems you two have been raiding Tai Qing Gong's ships quite a bit.”

“Nonsense.” Wu Ya Dao Ren shot back. “If it weren't for them, we wouldn't have become pirates.”

“Oh?”

“We're all from Xuan Huang Continent,” Gu San Tong explained. “We offended Tai Qing Gong and were hunted down, so we fled to Xuan Huang Xing Hai and had no choice but to turn to piracy.”

“These folks are much the same.” Wu Ya Dao Ren gestured to his followers. “Many of their families were wiped out. We're just sticking together for survival, but we never expected Tai Qing Gong to track us to Xuan Huang Xing Hai.”

“I came too late.” Ye Chen sighed, his tone laced with sorrow. The cultivators who once fought for the myriad realms now lived in such misery—it was truly infuriating.

“Talking about that won't help.” Xiao Ling Wa shook its head. “We need to think about our next move.”

“Well...” Ye Chen stroked his chin.

“We have a way out.” Gu San Tong smiled slightly. “Head southeast for a hundred thousand li, and there's a small island—that's our hideout. We'll be safe there.”

“A small island?” Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. “Aren't you afraid it'll be found and wiped out?”

“You're underestimating that island.” Wu Ya Dao Ren grinned. “It's not big, but it's no ordinary place. Inside, it forms a vast realm—even a Zhun Di might not detect it. We stumbled upon it by chance and claimed it as our base.”

“Such a remarkable spot exists.” Ye Chen marveled. “This Xing Hai is full of surprises.”

“We've been hiding there all these years, and Tai Qing Gong has searched multiple times without finding us.”

“That makes sense. Xuan Huang Xing Hai is boundless—finding one small island is tough enough, let alone one that hides an entire realm.” Xiao Ling Wa remarked casually.

“Let's head to that small island first.”

“But we need to shake off the Tai Qing Gong warships first.”

“Don't worry, my maneuvering will be slick.” Xiao Ling Wa volunteered, jumping onto the ship's array platform. It then unleashed its Ba Wang Long vital energy, merging it with burning Yuan Shi to maximize the warship's speed. The vessel accelerated dramatically, executing a dazzling drift before surging forward through the waves.

“What a dominant bloodline.” Sensing Xiao Ling Wa's surging vital energy, Gu San Tong and Wu Ya Dao Ren were both astonished. This dragon's aura was on par with the Tai Xu Ancient Dragon.

“It's a Ba Wang Long.” Ye Chen transmitted in a low voice.

“No wonder.” The two exclaimed in admiration, their expressions turning odd. As fellow reincarnated from Da Chu, this one had a Ba Wang Long bloodline, while they had become pirates—what a stark difference!

“Facts prove that character matters.” Ye Chen said meaningfully.

“Get lost.”

“Enough joking around. Since we're idle, I'll refine your bloodlines for you.” Ye Chen finished the last sip from his flask and began stretching, letting his Sheng Ti vital energy flow powerfully.

Gu San Tong and Wu Ya Dao Ren smiled and sat cross-legged. Having their bloodlines refined by the origins of an Huang Gu Sheng Ti was a rare opportunity and a tremendous boon for cultivators.

Their followers did the same, though unsure why Ye Chen's vital energy was so overwhelming, they knew it was exceptionally dominant—at least not inferior to the dragon on the array platform.

The warship fell into silence.

Ye Chen always put in extra effort for his own people, never skimping on pills or Sheng Ti vital energy.

Xiao Ling Wa wasn't idle either, offering a strand of its dragon blood to blend with Ye Chen's Sheng Ti origins, using the combined power to refine bloodlines—an effect beyond imagination.