In the Blue Sky Sword Sea.
Since Chen Xia's departure, the people of the Blue Sky Sword Sea had become increasingly somber, and the atmosphere was no longer as light-hearted as before.
Qiu Li spent years away, working on constructing the most intricate arrays.
Hu Linye had transformed into a mortal to travel far and wide, claiming it would help him comprehend the Dao, though the truth of this was uncertain.
Li Yang and Li Yue took turns guarding, one at the Li Family and the other at the Blue Sky Sword Sea, rotating their posts.
Chi Yu stationed himself in the innermost part of the Blue Sky Sword Sea. Since Chen Xia left, he had been in seclusion, showing no signs of emerging.
Chi Yu's goal was to rapidly increase his cultivation level, so he could join Chen Xia on the front lines. He had run away once before and didn't want to hide again.
Jia Bai and Huang Can were responsible for the affairs of the Blue Sky Sword Sea, such as teaching disciples and managing resources.
Among them all, Emperor Capital was the most idle. He spent each day guarding the entrance of the Blue Sky Sword Sea, squatting alongside White Emperor, staring at the distant horizon and wondering aloud.
"Why hasn't Brother Chen come back yet?"
No one answered him.
So Emperor Capital turned to glance at White Emperor and said, "Analyze for me when Brother Chen will return."
White Emperor's body trembled, and he immediately replied with a fawning smile, "Brother Emperor, you miss Lord Chen so much, I reckon he'll be back tomorrow."
"Good!" Emperor Capital laughed heartily and nodded, pointing at White Emperor, "If Brother Chen doesn't return tomorrow, I'll hold you responsible!"
"Huh?" White Emperor's face froze.
Emperor Capital sighed, "The bond between Brother Chen and me is as deep as father and son. Surely he wouldn't bear to keep me waiting too long. By all rights, he should come back to visit tomorrow."
Thinking this, he cheerfully ran back into the Blue Sky Sword Sea, already looking forward to Chen Xia's return the next day.
People need something to hope for, after all.
The next day, Emperor Capital waited at the entrance of the Blue Sky Sword Sea from early morning, holding a banner himself and making White Emperor prepare gongs and drums for the welcome.
He stood there from dawn until the last moment of the night.
Chen Xia didn't come.
White Emperor's body trembled, fearing punishment from Emperor Capital.
Emperor Capital lowered his head, his shoulders drooping, saying nothing and not blaming White Emperor.
He had anticipated this.
How could Chen Xia return just because he said so?
Emperor Capital looked up and gave a helpless laugh, "Let's just consider it self-entertainment, otherwise the day would have been too boring."
"Yes... yes," White Emperor hurriedly nodded.
Another day passed in extreme ordinariness.
Though the Blue Sky Sword Sea was peaceful, troubles were increasing in the Star Region, because all the saints and great saints had received a message.
Chen Xia had left the Blue Sky Sword Sea and gone to fight on the frontlines of the myriad worlds, a journey extremely dangerous with slim chances of survival.
So the great saints and saints began to harbor devious thoughts, starting to test the Blue Sky Sword Sea. For instance, they stopped paying the annual tribute and no longer fully obeyed the Blue Sky Sword Sea's orders, beginning to pay lip service while disobeying in secret.
The Eight Saints of Azure Sky weren't fools and immediately noticed this, summoning these two-faced saints and great saints to the Blue Sky Sword Sea to atone for their sins.
But as if they had agreed beforehand, not a single saint came.
This enraged the Eight Saints of Azure Sky. Qiu Li even stopped building his arrays and returned, intending to reason with these saints.
So, except for Chi Yu who was in deep seclusion, all the other Eight Saints of Azure Sky mobilized en masse to question the great saints and saints.
The saints seemed to have anticipated their arrival and had gathered in advance, led by a great saint who smiled at the Azure Sky saints and said:
"Sigh, now that Chen Xia has left, I think the relationship between us shouldn't be as rigid as before. We should be like good friends."
"Look, have you ever seen good friends paying tribute to each other?"
"Good friends my ass! If you don't pay up, when Brother Chen returns, he'll hang you up at the top of the Blue Sky Sword Sea and whip you, then chain you old dog at the main gate and have White Emperor look after you!" Emperor Capital cursed without restraint.
Li Yang nodded, "Makes sense."
"This time, I share the same thought as Emperor Capital."
"Hard not to support that."
The Azure Sky saints spoke up one after another.
The great saint suddenly roared, his voice turning gloomy: "Mere saints dare to speak so rudely to me? Without Chen Xia, your Blue Sky Sword Sea is nothing. You dare to speak to me like this? You truly don't value your lives!"
"Moreover, Chen Xia has gone to the frontlines, who knows if he can even return alive? You lot act like fierce dogs, but I'm about to slaughter some dogs!"
"You motherf***er, old dog!" Emperor Capital pointed directly at the great saint's nose and cursed again.
"Brother Chen went to the forefront of the myriad worlds to protect the entire Star Region, willingly going alone to the front lines. If Brother Chen hadn't been willing to go, it would have been you saints and great saints who had to go, it would have been you beasts dying on the front lines!"
"Your actions now truly demonstrate ingratitude to the fullest extent!"
The saints lowered their heads, feeling that Emperor Capital's words indeed made sense. Chen Xia going alone to the forefront of the myriad worlds had indeed protected all the cultivators of the entire Star Region.
But the great saint didn't see it this way, frowning as he said:
"He went of his own accord, what does it have to do with me? I never asked him to, nor can I be said to have benefited from him. I can only say he deserves to die!"
"F*** your mother, old dog, I want your life!" Emperor Capital couldn't hold back anymore. His body transformed into a star as he charged forward to attack.
Qiu Li deployed his mysterious Dao, manifesting arrays.
Li Yang and Li Yue shone like the sun and moon, stars twinkling.
Huang Can's golden body gleamed brilliantly, Jia Bai opened his fan of mountains and rivers, and Hu Linye summoned his ferry boat.
This was the most saints ever to participate in a single battle in the history of the myriad worlds, and the most brutal. It was destined to be recorded in the annals of history.
In this battle, all the Azure Sky saints were injured to varying degrees. Emperor Capital suffered the worst, barely alive and bleeding profusely when he was sent back to the Blue Sky Sword Sea.
This battle ended in defeat for the Blue Sky Sword Sea. Their reputation plummeted, the title of hegemon of the Star Region was stripped away, and they fell into an unprecedented low point.
Sixty years later.
Chi Yu emerged from seclusion. He had aged significantly, his hair completely white, his face covered in wrinkles.
He was an old man, and also a Great Saint of Second Dao.
No one knew how he had broken through, only that Chi Yu left the sect at noon on the day of his breakthrough.
It took a total of three months.
Chi Yu slaughtered all the saints and great saints who had participated in the battle that day. The head of the great saint was hung high outside the Blue Sky Sword Sea as a warning to the entire Star Region.
The strong smell of blood lingered in the Star Region for a long time before dissipating.
Chi Yu single-handedly reclaimed the title of hegemon for the Blue Sky Sword Sea.
He said:
He would protect everything of the Blue Sky Sword Sea.