164: Exorbitant reward and garbage chute

Void Heaven Palace, a remote abandoned teleportation Formation somewhere in the Outer Hall.

"Crack."

The void heaven cauldron in the Star Lord Clone's arms was still vibrating violently. Although the terrifying Azure Blue Ice Flame was temporarily suppressed by the stellar force field, the cold Qi still spread along the Clone's arms, freezing the surrounding ground into a thick layer of blue ice.

"This thing is too hot to handle... oh wait, I mean too cold to handle."

Zhou Wannian (Old Man Han) looked at the Clone's frosted eyebrows, his brow furrowed.

The void heaven cauldron was a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure; even in a Lower Realm like the Chaotic Star Sea, it was an existence on the level of world rules. If they didn't find a place to Seal it completely soon, its leaking aura alone would attract Yao Beasts from ten thousand miles around.

"Brother Han, how do we leave?" Purple Spirit looked around nervously. "The teleportation Formation at the main entrance must be blocked by the Disciples of those old monsters."

"Going through the main entrance is a death wish."

Zhou Wannian took out the remnant parchment map given by Ling Yuling.

He searched the map quickly, finally stopping his finger at an extremely inconspicuous corner.

A funnel-like symbol was drawn there, with a line of ancient script annotated next to it: [Waste Discharge Outlet].

"Waste... discharge outlet?" Purple Spirit's lips twitched.

"To put it simply, it's a 'Trash Channel'."

Zhou Wannian put away the map, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"Ancient Cultivators were human too. Refining pills and artifacts always leaves waste residue, and the operation of Formations produces discarded Spirit Stone fragments. These things couldn't be piled up in the palace; they had to be discharged."

"This channel leads directly to the Thirty-Thousand-Foot Abyss in the Outer Sea of Tianxing City."

"It's a bit dirty, but absolutely no one would expect us to leave through here."

...Half a cup of tea later.

The two people and the Puppet arrived at a massive stone chamber emanating a decaying scent.

In the center of the stone chamber was a black deep well ten zhang in diameter. The mouth of the well was covered in dense teleportation runes, but most of them were dim, clearly dilapidated from years of neglect.

"Will this... work?" Purple Spirit covered her nose; the smell here was even more pungent than the Mass Grave.

"A man can never say he can't."

Zhou Wannian pulled a handful of high-grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Pouch and embedded them precisely into the grooves of the runes like scattering beans.

"Cloud Seal Heavenly Scripture: Reverse Activation!"

Buzz—

As a hand Seal was cast.

The previously deathly silent black well suddenly emitted a rumbling sound of operation. A powerful suction force came from the bottom of the well, as if a giant beast had opened its maw.

"Jump!"

Without a word, Zhou Wannian grabbed Purple Spirit with one hand and the Star Lord Clone holding the cauldron with the other, then leaped down.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

A intense sense of weightlessness hit them.

They plummeted rapidly through the pitch-black channel, surrounded by countless Artifact Refining residues and unknown filth left over from the ancient era.

"Endure it; this is the smell of freedom!"

Zhou Wannian cast a "Starlight Shield" over himself and Purple Spirit, blocking the flying trash... Meanwhile.

Outside the main entrance of the Void Heaven Palace, high above Tianxing City.

The atmosphere was grim and murderous.

Hundreds of elite Cultivators from the Reverse Star Alliance and the Righteous Path Alliance were manning war vessels, standing ready. The absolute order they received was: not even a fly is allowed to pass!

"Boom!"

The gates of the Void Heaven Palace opened once again.

Several streaks of light rushed out in a disheveled state.

They were none other than Ancestor Ji Yin, Savage Beard, Wan Tianming, and the others.

At this moment, they had long lost the poise of Grandmasters they had when they entered. Ancestor Ji Yin's hair was disheveled, Savage Beard's golden armor was shattered, and Wan Tianming's face was ashen.

"Where is he?!"

As soon as Ancestor Ji Yin emerged, his terrifying Divine Sense instantly swept across a thousand-mile radius.

"Where is that sickly ghost with the Puppet?!"

The Reverse Star Alliance deacon in charge of guarding the gate stepped forward tremblingly. "Reporting to Old Ancestor... no... no one came out. We've been guarding here the whole time, and not even a bird has flown past."

"No one came out?"

Savage Beard's bell-like eyes widened. "Impossible! That kid used a great teleportation talisman; he must have teleported out!"

"Unless..."

The consistently silent Wan Tianming suddenly looked down at the vast ocean below.

"Unless he didn't use the main entrance."

Right at that moment.

"Bang!!!"

In the Outer Sea of Tianxing City, on a calm patch of water three hundred miles from the Void Heaven Palace, a hundred-zhang-high water column suddenly exploded upward.

Countless black mud and residues gushed out along with the water column.

Amidst the sky-filling filth, a green streak of light soared into the sky like a meteor.

"There he is!!!"

Ancestor Ji Yin's eyes instantly turned bloodshot.

He sensed it!

Even across three hundred miles, he sensed the aura of that damned Blood Jade Spider, and even more so, the fluctuations of the void heaven cauldron that drove him mad!

"Chase him!!!"

"Whoever kills that kid and retrieves the void heaven cauldron, this Old Ancestor will reward him with three Nascent Soul Pills! One top-grade ancient treasure! And take him as my personal Disciple!"

This roar, infused with the full power of a Nascent Soul Middle Stage Cultivator, instantly spread throughout the entire sea region of Tianxing City.

The countless Loose Cultivators who were just watching the spectacle suddenly had their eyes turn green with greed.

Nascent Soul Pills! ancient treasures! The Disciple of a Nascent Soul Old Ancestor!

This was simply the temptation of ascending to heaven in a single step!

"Kill him!"

"Don't let him escape!"

In an instant, thousands of light streaks swarmed like a plague of locusts, surging toward Zhou Wannian's direction... On the sea.

Zhou Wannian had just rushed out of the "Trash Channel" and hadn't even had time to catch his breath when he saw the sky-blotting pursuers in the distance.

"Good grief, a server-wide bounty."

Zhou Wannian spat on the ground.

"Brother Han, what do we do? There are people blocking us ahead too!" Purple Spirit pointed forward.

Several Reverse Star Alliance war vessels flying skull flags happened to be patrolling nearby. Hearing Ji Yin's command, they immediately turned their bows, activated their protective Formations, and blocked the path.

"What else can we do?"

A trace of ruthlessness flashed in Zhou Wannian's eyes.

"Ram through them!"

He slapped his Storage Pouch.

That multiple-times modified, pitch-black "Ghost Shuttle" appeared out of thin air.

"Get on the ship!"

The three of them climbed into the shuttle.

"Tie Zhu! Power furnace at full blast! Overload operation!"

"Understood!"

Inside the shuttle, Tie Zhu 3.0 inserted his hands into the console, and the Five Elements Reactor in his chest instantly turned crimson.

Boom!

Two ten-zhang-long blue tail flames erupted from the rear of the shuttle. Its speed broke the sound barrier in an instant, dragging a white vacuum trail across the sea surface.

"Stop him! Fire the cannons, quick!"

On the war vessels ahead, the devil Cultivators shouted in panic.

But it was too fast.

Zhou Wannian's shuttle was like a black drill bit.

"Seventy-two Star Thunders, clear the way!"

Zhou Wannian shouted.

Seventy-two star thunder bee cloud swords flew out of the shuttle, rotating at high speed in front to form a golden drill Formation. Evil-Warding Divine Thunder and space-cutting power erupted simultaneously.

Sizzle—!!!

Like a hot knife through butter.

The war vessel's protective shield, strong enough to withstand an attack from a Core Formation Late Stage Cultivator, shattered the moment it touched the sword Formation.

Then came the hull.

Boom!

The shuttle tore straight through the middle of the war vessel, leaving a trail of blood and gore.

The dozens of devil Cultivators on board didn't even have time to scream before being ground into fragments.

"Death to those who stand in my way!"

Zhou Wannian piloted the shuttle without stopping for a moment, racing toward the depths of the vast Outer Sea... "Bastard!!!"

When Ancestor Ji Yin and the others arrived, they only saw the war vessel broken in two and sinking, and a speck of black light about to vanish on the horizon.

"What kind of Magic Treasure is that? Its speed is actually faster than a Nascent Soul Stage flight?!" Savage Beard said in shock.

"We can't catch him..."

Wan Tianming's face was grim. "Once he enters the Outer Sea, it's teeming with Yao Beasts. The sea is vast and covered in fog year-round, obstructing Divine Sense. Trying to find someone there is no different from looking for a needle in a haystack."

Ancestor Ji Yin stood in mid-air, staring fixedly in the direction Zhou Wannian had vanished, his chest heaving violently.

After a long while.

He squeezed out a chilling command from between his teeth:

"Pass down the order."

"From this day forth, issue the [Ends of the Earth Pursuit Order]."

"Draw his portrait! Put a bounty on this man!"

"Name: Han Li (suspected alias). Features: Green robes, sickly appearance (that's a disguise), skilled in puppetry, Formations, and lightning arts. Accompanied by a female Cultivator in purple and a high-grade Puppet."

"Bounty amount: five million Spirit Stones!"

"Anyone who provides clues will be rewarded with one hundred thousand Spirit Stones. Anyone who takes his head will be rewarded with—the position of [Vice Alliance Leader of the Reverse Star Alliance]!"

Boom!

As soon as these words were spoken, the Chaotic Star Sea was shaken.

The position of Vice Alliance Leader!

This meant that even if it were a Core Formation Cultivator, as long as they killed this person, they would instantly become one of the giants of the Chaotic Star Sea!

...Several days later.

Deep in the Outer Sea, on a nameless deserted island.

"Pfft—"

The shuttle slammed heavily onto the beach, plowing a deep trench.

The hatch opened, and Zhou Wannian walked out leaning against the wall, his face as pale as paper. These past few days of non-stop, overloaded flight were taxing even for his iron-like body.

"Finally... we lost them."

He plopped down on the sand, breathing in great gulps of the salty sea breeze.

The Star Lord Clone still held the void heaven cauldron, standing nearby like a statue. Although the cauldron lid was still vibrating, that violent aura had calmed down slightly.

"Brother Han, where are we now?" Purple Spirit tidied her messy hair, looking at the desolate scenery around them.

"I don't know."

Zhou Wannian glanced at the map. "Probably... the 'Abyssal Sea Region,' a hundred thousand miles west of Qiyuan Island."

"This is the backyard of Grade Eight Yao Beasts (Nascent Soul Stage)."

"But precisely because it's dangerous, those old monsters won't dare to easily probe their Divine Sense here."

Zhou Wannian stood up and looked at the deserted island.

"This place will be our temporary home."

"Purple Spirit."

"I'm here."

"I'm going into secluded cultivation."

Zhou Wannian pointed at the void heaven cauldron.

"I'm going to open the cauldron and take the pills."

"This will take a long time—maybe a year, maybe ten."

"During this time, you'll be responsible for the perimeter security. Also... use the Wonderful Sound Sect's channels to help me collect some auxiliary Materials needed for 'Nascent Soul formation'."

"I'm going to..."

A hint of resolve flashed in Zhou Wannian's eyes.

...Break through to the Nascent Soul Stage here."

Once he reached the Nascent Soul Stage, combined with the void heaven cauldron and the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder, although the Chaotic Star Sea was vast, where could he not go?

When that time came, it would be his turn to hunt down Ancestor Ji Yin, and perhaps even... set his sights on the throne of the Twin Saints of Tianxing!

"Yes, sir."

Looking at the man before her, Purple Spirit felt a surge of inexplicable confidence.

She had a premonition.

When this man emerged from seclusion again...

...the very heavens of the Chaotic Star Sea would change. (End of Chapter)

[Next Volume Preview: Volume 4: Nascent Soul Major Achievement and the Chaotic Star Sea in Turmoil]

Twenty years passed in the blink of an eye.

In the Outer Sea Abyss, a celestial phenomenon occurred.

Above the Nine Heavens, stars fell and ten thousand thunders roared in unison.

A "Green-Robed Old Demon" who struck terror into the hearts of the entire Chaotic Star Sea Yao Race was born.

"Ji Yin, you old dog, your head... I, Han, have come to take it."