The nine realms of cultivation.

Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Separation, Worldly Entry, Void Return, Bounded Realm, Heaven Connection.

This sequence was something every cultivator could recite fluently. Jian Chou had been cultivating for quite some time now—how could she not know this clearly?

The further along one progressed, the gap between each realm grew exponentially!

Hearing Zhou Jun’s words, she was utterly shocked, and a barely believable thought emerged: “Soul Separation is only the fifth realm—yet he could kill across realms all the way to the seventh realm of Void Return?”

“See, junior knew that even if I told you, you wouldn’t believe it.”

Zhou Jun clicked his tongue with a face full of sighs.

“However, junior wasn’t present at the time, so I don’t know what the exact situation was. But those who went and returned all spoke of him with lingering fear. Some even said that although his cultivation level hadn’t reached it, his comprehension of the ‘sword’ had long surpassed that of the Youya Sword Emperor. That’s why he could win.”

Comprehension of the “sword”…

Wasn’t Yashan precisely a sect famous for using “swords”?

Jian Chou recalled Qu Zhengfeng being trapped in the Nascent Soul stage for over three hundred, nearly four hundred years. With Zhou Jun’s words echoing in her ears, her heart suddenly surged with emotions, unable to remain calm.

She smiled slightly: “According to what you say, he must be extremely formidable now. In that case, after all these years, Yashan can no longer do anything about him?”

“That’s unknown. It’s said that Yashan has always had people in the star sea trying to capture the traitor, but they’ve never been seen. Perhaps they know he’s already become a force to be reckoned with and is difficult to deal with?”

Zhou Jun shared his thoughts, though they were merely speculation.

“Thirty years ago, he had already broken through Soul Separation again. According to rumors, he’s now at the peak of Worldly Entry cultivation. At this rate, it won’t be long before he’ll have to be called a ‘Great Power.’ In tomorrow’s star sea, who would dare think of taking his head?”

Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core—these three realms could only be considered ordinary cultivators. Once one reached Nascent Soul, Soul Separation, and Worldly Entry, they qualified to be called “old monsters.” As for Void Return, Bounded Realm, and Heaven Connection—these three realms had practically touched the threshold of ascension, so they were all called “Great Powers.”

After listening, Jian Chou was lost in thought.

The Yashan Sword, along with the nameless rusted sword beneath the Sword-Drawing Platform and the Line of Heaven in the armory, were collectively known as the “Three Swords of Yashan”—the sect’s famous protective treasures.

Now stolen by Qu Zhengfeng, yet not retrieved…

Either they truly lacked the ability to pursue, or they didn’t want to pursue, couldn’t be bothered to pursue.

Regarding Qu Zhengfeng’s betrayal of Yashan, her feelings were actually quite complex, and she sensed that her master’s attitude was equally complex.

Fudao Shanren seemed to have only lamented sorrowfully for a while when Qu Zhengfeng first betrayed them, but had never spoken of pursuing the matter in front of them, nor mentioned Qu Zhengfeng again.

This attitude was quite intriguing.

Jian Chou pondered this, finding it interesting, then continued asking: “Besides this person, what other changes have occurred in the Nineteen Continents?”

“In terms of people, there’s only this one who’s world-shaking. The others who’ve just emerged are mostly of lower cultivation—I imagine you wouldn’t be interested in them, Fairy.”

“In terms of forces and events, there’s plenty to discuss.”

Tomorrow’s Star Sea was originally the most chaotic place among the Nineteen Continents, and relatively speaking, also the place with the most mixed information.

Zhou Jun had quite a lot to say in his mind.

“You were in closed-door cultivation and missed it. For us, these sixty years have been like a festival—let me tell you about the major events after that one betrayed Yashan.”

“You should have heard of the Left Three Thousand Minor Assembly, right?”

Her heart stirred, and Jian Chou nodded imperceptibly: “I’ve heard of it.”

“Ah, this matter still seems eerie when spoken of now.”

“Sixty years ago at that Minor Assembly, Kunwu’s talented disciple Xie Buchen couldn’t return in time because he went to explore the Qingfeng Nunnery’s hidden realm. But later, Yashan and Kunwu arranged for him to explore the hidden realm again together with elite disciples from Yashan, Baiyue Valley, and other top five sects.”

“This exploration—that’s when trouble happened!”

Zhou Jun continued flying while speaking, his expression gradually becoming more animated.

But when Jian Chou heard this, her heart suddenly clenched, and her expression showed a moment of stunned confusion. Zhou Jun didn’t notice and continued speaking.

“Guess what happened?”

“Six people went: Kunwu’s Xie Buchen, Yashan’s Jian Chou, Fengmo Sword Sect’s Xia Houshe, Wuyi Sect’s Young Master Ruhua, Baiyue Valley’s Lu Xiangleng, and the sectless Zuoliu. In the end, only three returned with all their limbs intact—Xie Buchen, Jian Chou, and Zuoliu were nowhere to be seen!”

“Yashan and Kunwu nearly came to blows over this, and I hear their relationship has been much worse in recent years.”

Who didn’t know that Yashan and Kunwu, these two great sects, were the pillars of the Central Domain?

In terms of foundation, these two sects were the deepest; in terms of experts, these two sects had the most; in terms of reputation, these two sects were the most prestigious. Moreover, both sects upheld righteous paths, and for many years, the relationship between the two sects had been excellent, with rarely any conflicts.

Currently, Yashan’s Elder Fudao Shanren and Kunwu’s First Seat Hengxu Zhenren were friends from their youth, both being the most outstanding two from their generation’s Minor Assembly, achieving fame together and becoming the backbone of their respective sects.

Even though these two had very different temperaments, no one had ever doubted their close friendship.

But sixty years ago, seemingly around the time their disciples encountered danger during their adventure.

These two somehow ended up exploring the Western Sea’s Chan Sect and were discovered, unable to escape. But before the Chan Sect’s warrior monks could make a move, these two actually started fighting each other!

These two were people of the highest status in Yashan and Kunwu, highly respected figures in the Central Domain.

Who could have imagined they would suddenly fight?

Monk Yichen, who had brought people to confront them, was so startled that he immediately intervened to prevent a earth-shattering battle.

This matter was originally confidential, but there had been too many warrior monks present that day.

Later, through various tellings, somehow word got out and spread throughout the entire Nineteen Continents with great fanfare, even causing an uproar in tomorrow’s Star Sea.

“Originally, we didn’t take this matter seriously—after all, who would dare believe these two, along with Yashan and Kunwu, could have a falling out?” Zhou Jun spoke truthfully. “But later we discovered there really were some signs. The Minor Assembly happens every thirty years. The session after you went into closed-door cultivation nearly didn’t happen. It seemed to be because during the preliminary discussions, Fudao Shanren was completely unwilling to go. Later, it was Elder Pang Dian from Dragon Gate who mediated as an intermediary that finally managed to smooth things over.”

Yashan, Kunwu.

These two names slowly flowed through Jian Chou’s heart, leaving ripples: “You mean this change is related to what happened in Qingfeng Nunnery’s hidden realm? How did those disciples fare? You haven’t said yet.”

“Oh my, I forgot!”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jun immediately apologized with a smile, slapping his forehead.

“Among them, the three from Baiyue Valley, Wuyi Sect, and Fengmo Sword Sect returned, right? Yashan and Kunwu couldn’t just watch their two promising disciples come to harm, so they questioned them extensively. Only then did the three reluctantly reveal that the senior sister from Yashan and the disciple surnamed Xie from Kunwu seemed to have a deep hatred for each other. They fought all along the way, as if they wanted to kill each other!”

“…”

Jian Chou didn’t respond.

But Zhou Jun found this matter extremely interesting: “Whether this is true or not, we don’t know. After all, these were two prodigies who had just begun cultivation—even if they had grievances, it wouldn’t be to this extent, right? Anyway, there were all sorts of explanations, and what happened afterward became even stranger.”

“How so?” she asked with some curiosity.

Zhou Jun then recounted each incident.

The first strange thing was about Fengmo Sword Sect’s Xia Houshe.

About a year after the Qingfeng Nunnery hidden realm incident, he was expelled from his sect for unknown reasons and fought with his sect’s elders, suffering severe injuries and barely escaping with his life. He fled all the way to Baiyue Valley.

That medicine woman Lu Xiangleng from Baiyue Valley dared to defy the world’s disapproval and rescued him, regardless of how many people from Fengmo Sword Sect and Baiyue Valley opposed it.

From then on, Xia Houshe never left Baiyue Valley, essentially becoming half a cultivator of Baiyue Valley.

The second strange thing was about Kunwu’s Xie Buchen.

After the incident, this person’s life tablet almost immediately shattered, causing such a shock throughout Kunwu that it seemed as if the sect leader had died, not just the sect leader’s direct disciple.

But people discovered that this shock soon calmed down.

“There are rumors that Kunwu’s disciples, while guarding the Tianming Pavilion that housed the life tablets, once discovered that Xie Buchen’s shattered life tablet had mysteriously reformed. But it disappeared again in the blink of an eye.”

This matter was quite bizarre, leaving Zhou Jun puzzled and somewhat hesitant to speak.

“Some say he has safely returned to Kunwu, just severely injured and not venturing out; others say that once a life tablet shatters, it cannot reform. Anyway, this person’s life or death remains a mystery to this day.”

“Xie Buchen…”

This name made Jian Chou’s eyelids twitch.

Memories came flooding back like a tide.

On that isolated island in the mortal world, all the beauty of the pear blossoms after snow was destroyed by that sword stained with her heart’s blood, never to be pieced together again.

From then on, between them lay only old love and deep hatred.

Regarding the news that Xie Buchen’s life or death was unknown, or that he was very likely still alive, she wasn’t too shocked—perhaps because she had heard about Xia Houshe and Lu Xiangleng earlier, so she was prepared.

During the Extreme Domain Cauldron Competition, she had once wandered through the Nineteen Continents in spirit through the Nine-Headed Bird’s Black Wind Cave.

At that time, she had seen several old friends—Qian Que, Young Master Ruhua, and others. She had also seen footage of Xia Houshe rushing toward Baiyue Valley, with Lu Xiangleng nearby. Of course, she had also seen Fudao Shanren and Wuduan and others, and also…

The wooden house above the waterfall behind Kunwu’s back mountain.

The half-closed door, the figure behind the bamboo curtain.

A corner of clothing, a palm, an ink ruler.

The slightly cold wind from high altitude brushed against her face, causing Jian Chou to lower her brows and eyes slightly, unable to suppress a smile.

That moment had an extremely indescribable flavor.

As if after countless turns and twists, as if it could cross ten thousand rivers and mountains.

Zhou Jun, who had just turned to observe her, was immediately stunned upon seeing this, immersed in the strange meaning of this smile, unable to recover for quite some time.

It wasn’t until he heard that light voice beside his ear: “Is there more?”

Only then did he feel a chill in his heart, secretly reproaching himself for his carelessness, hurriedly replying: “There is, there is—this isn’t over yet. The stranger part is still to come!”

Speaking of these “bizarre” events, the real highlight was still ahead!

“Compared to this matter, everything before doesn’t count as much. Do you remember the missing senior sister from Yashan, Jian Chou, that junior mentioned earlier?”

Zhou Jun wanted to build suspense.

Jian Chou suddenly looked up at him, her heart leaping, forcibly suppressing that strange feeling and calmly saying: “I remember.”

“The most bizarre thing is this female cultivator!”

“After the Qingfeng Nunnery hidden realm incident, didn’t everyone think she had disappeared? Yashan sent people to gather information for quite some time, trying every method, but everything sank without a trace.”

When mentioning this, Zhou Jun’s memory was as fresh as if he had just learned of it yesterday.

“But who could have imagined that after almost a year had passed…”

“Just one year!”

“This female cultivator’s name actually appeared on the Heavenly Tablets, and not just one tablet, but the third and fourth Heavenly Tablets! Almost simultaneously!”

This was something Jian Chou hadn’t expected.

Several traces of bewilderment appeared on her face, and she, who was equally familiar with the Heavenly Tablet rules, felt completely confused: “Almost simultaneously? How is this possible? One Heavenly Tablet represents one major realm—how could someone almost simultaneously…”

Her words of doubt stopped here as Jian Chou suddenly froze.

How could someone almost simultaneously appear on the Heavenly Tablets? How could someone break through from the peak combat power of one realm to the next realm in such a short time and become the peak combat power of that realm?

This was what she had originally intended to say…

But…

How could it be possible?

How could it not be possible!

Only at this moment did she realize: the person Zhou Jun was talking about who was listed on the Heavenly Tablets was none other than herself—

Yashan’s Jian Chou!

Her sudden silence didn’t attract Zhou Jun’s attention.

Instead, because her earlier questioning had been so timely and so in line with a normal person’s reaction, Zhou Jun almost immediately clapped his hands and nodded in agreement.

“Exactly! You don’t know what the scene was like at the time—”

Every change in the Nine Heavenly Tablets was accompanied by brilliant light.

It was still early morning, at the time between dawn and not-quite-dawn, so the light was particularly intense. The sects and cultivators near the square could see it from far away.

But when they saw it and heard what the people present said, they were all startled!

Yashan’s Jian Chou had once been the first in Foundation Establishment combat power, later breaking through to Golden Core. Her name didn’t disappear from the Heavenly Tablets, but the Western Sea Chan Sect’s “Liao Kong” appeared above her, indicating that the first place in Foundation Establishment combat power had changed from Jian Chou to Liao Kong.

But this time, her name appeared on the third and fourth Heavenly Tablets almost simultaneously!

Indescribably eerie!

The third Heavenly Tablet, Golden Core stage.

Originally, the first place at that time belonged to Yong Zhou, the young sect leader of the Hero’s Tomb from the southeastern demon realm. But the moment the light blazed, that name directly disappeared, replaced by the two characters “Jian Chou.”

The spectators had just witnessed this scene and hadn’t yet had time to react.

In the next instant, the two characters “Jian Chou” remained unchanged, while the previously disappeared “Yong Zhou” appeared above Jian Chou’s name!

“This wasn’t the end!”

“The fourth Heavenly Tablet was right next to the third, and it immediately lit up. Zhao Zhuo, Kunwu’s first disciple who had been at the Nascent Soul peak for that year, had only just gotten up there, yet his name also disappeared. Still, it was this Jian Chou’s name that took the top spot!”

“But this time was different from the third Heavenly Tablet.”

His brows furrowed tightly, Zhou Jun felt this matter still held many unresolved mysteries in his heart, so much so that he still couldn’t figure it out and remained troubled.

“This time, in the blink of an eye, this female cultivator’s name disappeared.”

“It disappeared—not that a new name appeared above hers. Rather, Zhao Zhuo’s name, which had previously disappeared, reappeared to cover hers.”

“You understand the Heavenly Tablet rules, so without junior saying anything, you understand what this means, right?”

Understand.

How could Jian Chou not understand?

The appearance of her name on the third Heavenly Tablet proved that her combat power had reached Golden Core first place at that time. Later, with her name still remaining on the tablet, she either died at her peak or maintained her peak state while breaking through to the next realm.

From her name appearing on the fourth Heavenly Tablet, she hadn’t died but had broken through.

But on the fourth Heavenly Tablet, her name was only a flash in the pan before “yielding” back to the original Zhao Zhuo. This could only prove one thing…

If a cultivator’s name disappeared from the Heavenly Tablet, it definitely meant that cultivator was no longer the first in combat power at that time.

In other words, in the extremely short time of breaking through Golden Core to advance to Nascent Soul, her combat power had directly reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage!

“Do you believe it?”

“Think about it—this is even more frightening than that person’s cross-realm killing! When she went to Qingfeng Nunnery’s hidden realm, this senior sister from Yashan had only just broken through to Golden Core not long ago. After a year had passed, she had actually reached the peak of Golden Core combat power directly? And in the blink of an eye, she was immediately at the peak of Nascent Soul stage.”

“Even though this name only appeared once, it was already enough to prove that she had indeed broken through to Nascent Soul!”

For cultivators, what a terrifying thing this was!

One year’s time, from early Golden Core, shooting straight up to Nascent Soul, and instantly becoming the first in Nascent Soul combat power!

Comparing people really could anger one to death!

“Tell me, is this Senior Sister Jian Chou some kind of human-shaped monster? Or did she have some miraculous encounter after disappearing? Or did the Heavenly Tablets make an error?”

Zhou Jun thought about his own cultivation and realm, feeling utterly dejected.

Don’t even mention it.

After listening, Jian Chou couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of her mouth, momentarily having the urge to darken her face.

Human-shaped monster…

What a terrible description.

If she told Zhou Jun that the “human-shaped monster” he spoke of was right in front of him, wouldn’t he be scared to death?

Of course, this was just a thought—Jian Chou wouldn’t actually say it.

Zhou Jun’s words had essentially answered some of the doubts she’d had since returning from the Extreme Domain.

Her journey to the Extreme Domain, ignoring the bloody aspects, could reluctantly be considered a “miraculous encounter.”

The Heavenly Tablets probably weren’t wrong.

In the Extreme Domain, she had mainly cultivated her soul, so it was natural that the Heavenly Tablets couldn’t detect this.

Later, near the Heaven-Releasing Creation Array, at the boundary between yin and yang, she was able to unite body and soul, causing her realm to surge and reach Golden Core peak in the blink of an eye.

This was why her name appeared on the third Heavenly Tablet.

Afterward, because she sensed the “voice” of that stone pearl, the final barrier was broken through, and she naturally and quickly broke through Golden Core to advance to Nascent Soul.

So her name remained on the third Heavenly Tablet without disappearing, instead appearing on the fourth Heavenly Tablet.

As for being first in combat power, this was probably thanks to the “Heaven-Flipping Seal.”

However, in that instant of fighting Lord Qin Guang, she had been struck by the residual force of his palm power, leaving hidden injuries. Earlier, while lying on that peach tree in the sea, she had discovered that these hidden injuries lingered between her heart, lungs, and soul, realizing they hadn’t healed.

This might be the reason she fell from first place in combat power again.

All of this was just speculation, though.

The only thing Jian Chou could confirm was the timing—

The time point of fighting Lord Qin Guang and leaving the Heaven-Releasing Creation Array corresponded exactly to the time when the Heaven-Releasing Creation Array changed in the Nineteen Continents, nearly a year after the Qingfeng Nunnery hidden realm incident.

But she felt she had spent at most a few months in the Extreme Domain—how could it have been a year?

Not to mention crossing through the Heaven-Releasing Creation Array.

Before crossing over, her name had just appeared on the Nine Heavenly Tablets; after crossing over, it was already sixty years later?

This was simply…

Too incredible.

But thinking of her current cultivation level: mid-stage Nascent Soul.

Jian Chou felt that only this explanation made sense: she had indeed spent a full sixty years during the “drifting” process.

Therefore, her personal cultivation had progressed from the early Nascent Soul stage she had just broken through to the mid-stage Nascent Soul.

Even though she hadn’t actively cultivated during this process, a cultivator’s absorption of spiritual energy from heaven and earth was automatic, so her cultivation naturally increased accordingly.

Apart from the hidden injuries that required focused healing, her other injuries had also recovered.

Jian Chou’s understanding of the Extreme Domain had been limited to begin with, and she knew even less about such strange phenomena. She could only temporarily set aside this question to ask Fudao Shanren about later.

All of this was merely a flash of thought in her mind.

On the surface, Jian Chou only pondered briefly before smiling and saying: “Perhaps the Heavenly Tablets made an error. Anyway, I’ve never seen anyone advance this quickly.”

“Sigh, only heaven knows. Anyway, this person is now completely without a trace, unknown where she’s gone…”

Zhou Jun could only comfort himself by thinking it might be a rare error in the Heavenly Tablets. He was currently only at the Golden Core stage, far behind Jian Chou who had once been listed on the third Heavenly Tablet.

Even though many people in the Nineteen Continents were discussing this with great interest, what did it have to do with him?

So Zhou Jun collected his thoughts, and after sighing for a while, jumped to another topic to discuss other people.

Only then did Jian Chou learn that many things had indeed happened in the Nineteen Continents.

Besides everything Zhou Jun had mentioned earlier:

Song Lin, the young sect leader of the Shanyin Sect from the southeastern demon realm, had unfortunately died while exploring the hidden realm, causing upheaval in the demon realm for quite some time.

In recent years, a female cultivator named “Shen Yao” had defeated all opponents to become the new Grand Marshal of Tongguan Station.

The Yin-Yang Sects of the Northern Domain had conflicts again, fighting endlessly and causing the deaths of hundreds of cultivators. But compared to the Snowy Region’s Tantric Sect, this was nothing.

Also within these sixty years, the Snowy Region’s Holy Son Ji Ye had emerged.

The complex factions within the Tantric Sect, because he decisively sided with the “Old Tantric” faction, immediately began long-term internal strife. Large and small conflicts intertwined, and it seemed only recently that things had calmed down a bit.

…

One by one, piece by piece, all the changing tides of the Nineteen Continents.

Jian Chou continued flying on her sword while listening to Zhou Jun speak. Before long, she had gained a thorough understanding of the current situation in the Nineteen Continents, even more comprehensive than before.

However, there was no news of Zuoliu…

That carefree young man who often had “Senior, please leave a spiritual consciousness imprint” on his lips—Jian Chou remembered giving him a Yashan token, telling him to go to Yashan once he left the hidden realm.

Because she didn’t know if she could survive leaving the hidden realm.

“The mountain ahead is where Saochenzhrai’s medicine boys gather herbs.”

When the conversation was nearly finished, Zhou Jun looked down and saw they had arrived at the right place, pointing to the mountain peak below for Jian Chou.

“Junior currently serves a fate master and must go down to watch over them. I wonder about you?”

Having talked for so long, Jian Chou hadn’t revealed her background or identity, so Zhou Jun didn’t dare randomly guess, much less speculate about her next moves, hence this question.

Jian Chou came back to her senses and thought for a moment.

She had been away from Yashan for a long time. Although there were life tablets and Heavenly Tablets showing her master and others knew she was safe, they might still worry after not seeing her for so long.

She should find a place to send a lightning message first to report her safety.

“I’ve just emerged from closed-door cultivation and have some old close friends and fellow teachers to visit. So for this journey, though I’m deeply grateful for Fellow Daoist Zhou Jun’s explanations and answers, I cannot stay long.”

Jian Chou remained friendly toward Zhou Jun, politely cupping her hands.

“I’ll take my leave here.”

“Of course, of course, you’re too kind.”

Being treated so courteously by an old monster like Jian Chou at the Nascent Soul stage, Zhou Jun felt quite pleased: Look at this! This is the bearing and cultivation a Nascent Soul old monster should have! Not like those in tomorrow’s Star Sea with their weird temperaments!

“Since the fairy has matters to attend to and people to see, junior wishes the fairy a smooth jour—”

“Whoosh!”

Before the last word “journey” could leave his mouth, from the northeast direction, a terrifying wind sound suddenly struck, faintly carrying the sound of breaking through air!

Zhou Jun’s voice immediately cut off.

Jian Chou also sensed the threatening presence, her body instantly tensing. Her fingers hidden in her sleeves immediately formed a hand seal, while she pressed her lips tightly together, squinted her eyes, and looked toward the source of the sound.

It was actually a massive black ship!

The ship’s hull, nearly a hundred zhang long, was carved with arrays and seals of various sizes, emanating a dark blue ghostly light. The enormous black sails billowed in the wind, carrying this giant ship suspended in the sky, flying toward the southwest at tremendous speed!

Several figures could be vaguely seen on the ship, their cultivation levels seemingly quite high.

But more eye-catching should be the many large prison cages bound to both sides of the ship. A quick glance revealed about thirty-odd cages, seemingly all cast from black iron, appearing extremely cumbersome while flying.

And…

These cages seemed to all contain people!

From this great distance, Jian Chou’s sweep revealed men and women in the cages, mostly teenagers and young adults, with occasionally a few elderly women and children of several years old.

Everyone bore injuries, wearing tattered clothes, lacking vitality and spirit.

The expressions on their faces were either fearful or numb…

“It’s the Night Sailing Ship!”

Upon seeing this, Zhou Jun immediately gasped in terror, quickly stopping and no longer flying forward even half a step, directly blocking Jian Chou as well.

“We can’t go further. This ‘probably’ just returned from capturing people.”

“Night Sailing Ship? Capturing people?”

Jian Chou’s heart had already frowned. She could see that several people on the ship had considerable cultivation, but had never heard of any “Night Sailing Ship,” much less understood what “capturing people” meant.

“No wonder you don’t know.”

Zhou Jun kept his eyes fixed on that ship, hoping they would follow their original trajectory and definitely not come over.

“This is an organization formed by several desperate criminals in recent years, using this black ship as their symbol, calling themselves the ‘Night Sailing Ship.’ They do all sorts of illegal activities. These people were probably captured from somewhere—cultivators or those with good spiritual roots. They’ll be sold to the puppet factions among the southeastern demon realm to be made into puppets, or sold to other cultivators as slaves…”

There were contracts between cultivators and spiritual beasts, and also between cultivators and other cultivators.

But which ambitious and talented cultivator would serve as someone’s slave for no reason?

The Night Sailing Ship’s methods were so excessive and outrageous that even among the villains of tomorrow’s Star Sea, they could be considered rare. But tomorrow’s Star Sea was just that kind of place, with few people caring.

Recently, there had been rumors that they had offended the new Sword Emperor and gotten into trouble.

But those were just rumors.

Encountering them single-handedly at a time like this, Zhou Jun had no courage to go investigate, only waiting for them to pass by.

After hearing Zhou Jun’s words, Jian Chou immediately frowned deeply.

Wasn’t this similar to the human traffickers on the isolated island who kidnapped and sold people? In a place like the Nineteen Continents where cultivators roamed freely, such things still happened…

In the blink of an eye, that black giant ship had already approached from afar at incredible speed.

Those cages containing people all passed by several dozen zhang in front of them one by one, like walking corpses, displaying fearful faces.

Jian Chou felt very uncomfortable.

But with their large numbers and strong forces, just looking at Zhou Jun’s expression showed that this so-called “Night Sailing Ship” was no small force. Even if she disliked it, there seemed no need to rashly intervene, and more importantly…

She didn’t have the capability.

But just as this thought flashed through her mind, another black iron cage passed by in front!

Through the gaps in the cage bars was actually a familiar face!

The eyes no longer held that mischievous spirit from years past, and the surroundings no longer carried that carefree rogue air…

In their place were a haggard face and numb expression!

In Jian Chou’s mind, like lightning, flashed a scene from when she had spiritually wandered the Nineteen Continents through the Black Wind Cave:

Running into a filthy, dark alley, hiding behind a crumbling wooden door, body covered in wounds, seemingly having just escaped enemy pursuit.

That was…

The one who had promised her he would join Yashan—Zuoliu!