In the midst of the dazzling starry expanse.
A youthful figure walked alone, hands clasped behind his back. With each step, he treaded upon a fallen star, using them as stepping stones to traverse the cosmic realm.
This figure was none other than Chen Xia. At present, he faced a dilemma - he had lost his way.
The star realm was vast, and he hadn't visited every corner. Without a star map, he found it impossible to discern the location of the Blue Sky Sword Sea.
He reached out, touching the void, forcibly establishing a connection with his Out of Body Avatar using his fragmented soul. Upon learning the avatar's position, he set out towards it.
The Out of Body Avatar wasn't far from the Blue Sky Sword Sea. Finding it would provide him with a trump card. His current state, with only a fragment of his soul restored, was too weak to be considered formidable in this era of renewed glory. He couldn't afford to be reckless.
But the Out of Body Avatar was different. It could move freely, even backwards if it wished.
An Out of Body Avatar that could rival an ordinary Great Saint would find dealing with the few Saints of this realm as easy as a father disciplining his children.
The only issue was that Chen Xia's current soul fragment might not be able to awaken the Out of Body Avatar. Their connection was tenuous, far from the deep bond of a primary soul.
So, for now, Chen Xia couldn't directly control the Out of Body Avatar.
However, if the soul fragment were in danger, the Out of Body Avatar would intervene without hesitation - such was the nature of their spiritual link.
Chen Xia advanced slowly, treading upon the star river. Occasionally, he would encounter ferries keeping their distance, not daring to approach.
Cultivators on these ferries would cast admiring and worshipful glances his way.
This reminded Chen Xia of past events.
There was someone called Cao Gao, also a ferry-operating cultivator.
Chen Xia shook his head, unable to recall clearly. His hazy memories had lost many details; he could only vaguely remember that such things had once occurred.
The youthful Chen Xia rubbed his head, smiling wryly. He thought perhaps it was due to his age - he felt nostalgic about the past but couldn't remember it clearly.
He shook his head again, ceasing to dwell on it. Letting the past be past, he stepped alone into the star river, seeking the future.
On a small celestial body.
An immense pressure descended in an instant. The sky turned pitch black. If one were to look upwards with divine sight, they would see five fingers as vast as star rivers appearing in the cosmos.
Below, cultivators stood dumbfounded, unaware of why such an event was occurring and at a loss for what to do.
The Crimson Saint's emissary and the Li Family cultivators were equally stunned. They saw an overwhelmingly powerful divine consciousness descend from the dark sky, enveloping the entire celestial body in an instant, scanning everything, not even sparing the core.
The Crimson Saint's emissary trembled, feeling as if he had been stripped bare, even his sea of consciousness thoroughly examined. His mind shook violently as he guessed at the identity of the powerful being obscuring the sky.
It had to be someone bearing the title of Saint!
The Crimson Saint's emissary didn't dare even breathe. Though he called himself an emissary of the Crimson Saint, in truth, he was merely a Sea Inversing Realm cultivator from a remote star, using the Crimson Saint's name. He had only glimpsed the Crimson Saint once, two thousand years ago, among a crowd during a ceremony.
But now, a true Saint had personally arrived! His face froze, nearly forgetting to breathe. Faced with a Saint's pressure, even his blood flow slowed.
The Li Family cultivators were more direct. They knelt on the ground, kowtowing while crying out.
"We are Li Family cultivators, paying respects to the Two Saints of the Li Family. We represent the Li Family's interests at the border. Please spare our lives, Your Excellency."
They were employing both soft and hard tactics.
"The Two Saints of the Li Family, you say?" A calm voice drifted down from the dark sky.
Emperor Capital's figure appeared before the Li Family cultivators, looking down at everyone like insignificant ants.
The Li Family cultivators knelt on the ground, their backs chilled, cold sweat pouring down. They quickly searched their memories for an identity matching the figure before them.
Emperor Capital!
The Li Family cultivators didn't just kneel now; they began kowtowing frantically. Their postures were respectful, and they spoke nervously, stammering:
"We... we were blind and didn't realize it was you who had descended here..."
"Are Li Family cultivators so spineless? Li Yang and Li Yue aren't managing the sect well, are they? Why don't you give me half of the Li Family's territory? I'll manage it for you."
Emperor Capital's words of mockery came calmly.
The Li Family cultivators dared not retort. Facing a Saint directly had already exhausted all their courage; they certainly wouldn't dare argue with one.
This wasn't as simple as facing death. A Saint had countless techniques to torment cultivators in ways worse than death.
Emperor Capital didn't wish to say more and asked directly: "Have you heard of Chen Xia?"
The Li Family cultivators were stunned for a moment, then a memory surfaced in their minds. They hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, we have..."
Before they could finish, a divine consciousness invaded, forcefully searching through their soul memories. It locked onto the segment about Chen Xia, hearing the crucial final sentence:
"Just tell them Chen Xia is waiting for them at the Blue Sky Sword Sea."
Memories of the past washed over him like a flowing river.
Emperor Capital's expression froze slightly. Even though he had become a Saint, he couldn't escape the grip of nostalgia. He lightly flicked his finger, withdrawing his divine consciousness, sparing the Li Family cultivators.
The Li Family cultivators collapsed to the ground, not daring to breathe, still respectfully watching Emperor Capital.
Suddenly, their faces turned from shock to extreme surprise.
Because a faint smile had appeared on Emperor Capital's face, as if he were in a good mood.
The darkness in the sky suddenly vanished, and Emperor Capital's figure disappeared with it.
In the star river.
Emperor Capital walked slowly, stars revolving around him. The slight smile never left his face as he recalled events from long ago.
He thought of that Blue Sky Sword Sea, of the so-called Fourteen Sons of Vast Sky.
He remembered Chi Yu, who always wanted to fight him to determine a winner, and Qiu Li, who stood as his equal.
And he thought of Chen Xia, unparalleled in his arrogance.
It was indeed a time of youthful impetuousness, a period Emperor Capital considered the most important in his life. The prodigies from the Blue Sky Sword Sea had all become peak cultivators capable of holding their own.
So no one spoke of the past anymore.
Now, seeing the Chen Xia from over twenty thousand years ago.
His thoughts could no longer be controlled.
He was Emperor Capital.
The twelfth of the Fourteen Sons of Vast Sky.