Four streaks of blue-green light came to a halt outside the Chaotic Abyss. Taking in the familiar sight of the star field, everyone save for Yang Kai was trembling with excitement. Shen Tu let out a long, resonant howl, venting the exhilaration that had built up deep inside.
It took a good while before everyone's emotions settled down.
"Where are we?" Bi Ya turned her head to look around. Although she knew this was the outer region of the Chaotic Abyss, she couldn't pinpoint their exact position.
"I recognize this place. I was captured not far from here. It's not too far from Water Moon, our Trading Company's main continent. With a star shuttle, we can reach it in just a month." Shen Tu explained.
"Water Moon?" Yue Xi seemed to ponder for a moment. "Now that you mention it, I can figure out the direction. The Sword Alliance's main continent, Sword Star, is roughly in that direction." She pointed toward a spot in the star field.
"Would any of you like to stay on Water Moon for a few days?" Shen Tu looked at the group and extended the invitation. After going through such an ordeal together, everyone felt much closer to one another, and old grudges had been cast aside.
Yue Xi glanced at Yang Kai, seeming tempted to agree, but her expression quickly turned bitter. She shook her head and said, "No. This time around, I lost a superior Saint King grade battle ship and several hundred elite warriors under my command. I need to report back to the Sword Alliance as soon as possible."
Shen Tu looked at her with some sympathy. "If the day ever comes when you can't stay in the Sword Alliance anymore, you're welcome to join the Heng Luo Trading Company. My position there isn't as high as my brothers', but I can still put in a good word to get someone admitted."
Yang Kai's eyes darted back and forth, and he instantly understood — Yue Xi would almost certainly be punished by the Sword Alliance when she returned. After all, her losses this time were immense, and on top of that, she had lost a Star Emperor Token that had already been in her possession.
"We'll cross that bridge when it comes..." Yue Xi gave a bitter smile.
She looked at Yang Kai once more, her expression complicated. After a long moment, her red lips parted: "Yang Kai, thank you. Thank you for getting the three of us — my two disciples and me — out of that cage. Thank you for saving our lives in the spatial rift."
She hesitated for a moment, then added softly, "Also... I'm sorry!"
With that, she bowed deeply, sincerely apologizing for all the unpleasantness that had transpired between her and Yang Kai in the past.
Yang Kai nodded calmly, accepting her apology.
"Everyone, my two disciples and I will take our leave." With that, Yue Xi turned and flew off in the direction of Sword Star.
"Yang Kai, take care! I hope we meet again someday!" He Miao waved at Yang Kai ceaselessly, looking quite reluctant to part.
"Take care." He Zao nodded in acknowledgment.
"You too!" Yang Kai smiled and waved. He watched their figures grow smaller and smaller, gradually disappearing into the vastness of the star field.
"They're not going. You're not going to refuse too, are you, Brother Yang?" Shen Tu looked at Yang Kai and asked.
"I don't really care. I just arrived in the star field anyway — haven't decided where to go or where to settle down." Yang Kai grinned. "Getting you back to Water Moon is no trouble at all."
"Thank you so much, Brother Yang. If I had to fly back to Water Moon alone, I'd probably die on the way." Shen Tu was overjoyed. "Then let's go!"
"Wait a moment." Yang Kai said. He turned to Bi Ya and said coolly, "You should get going too."
"Where would I go?" Bi Ya looked dumbfounded.
"I don't know. Go wherever you want — just don't stay by my side."
Bi Ya's beautiful eyes suddenly brightened, a mix of surprise and delight crossing her face. "You mean... I'm free?"
"I told you back on that continent — once we left, we'd go our separate ways. I never intended to keep you bound to me."
"Then why did you..." Bi Ya gazed at Yang Kai in bewilderment, not understanding why, if he had always planned this, he had still taken her soul imprint and held her life and death in his hands.
"That was your punishment. You're different from the others — we had quite a bit of bad blood between us. I could have abandoned Lü Guichen and left him to fend for himself. But since I brought you along, you had to pay a price, and that soul imprint was the price!" Yang Kai said in a deep voice. "I'll keep that imprint for now — to make sure you don't reveal my secrets, and to make sure you don't harbor resentment and turn against me. After a few decades, maybe even a century, I might return it to you."
A bitter ache welled up in Bi Ya's heart. She gazed at Yang Kai with a faint, melancholy look, biting her lower lip. "What if you die before then?"
"Then pray — pray that I live a long, long life, one as boundless as the heavens!" Yang Kai looked at her with an utterly straight face.
Bi Ya couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Your appetite is way too big... Fine, I should be glad I made it out alive. Keep the imprint if you want. But I don't really have anywhere to go right now — I wouldn't dare go back to Purple Star... So many people have disappeared. If I show up alone, they'll definitely question me. Hmm, Young Master Shen Tu, could you recommend me to your Trading Company? My strength isn't too shabby, either — I'm at the Entering Saint Stage Three. After living on that continent for so long and benefiting from its nourishment, I feel like I'm about to break through to the Saint King Realm. At this level, I should be good enough to handle your supply runs, right?"
Shen Tu thought about it for a moment and nodded. "If you can truly reach the Saint King Realm... our Trading Company would be happy to have you."
"That's wonderful! I'll head to Water Moon with you then. Within a month, I'll definitely break through!" Bi Ya cheered. As she spoke, she shot Yang Kai a flirtatious wink. "You're the one who doesn't know a good thing when he has it — don't come regretting it later."
"Your Trading Company would actually take in a woman like her?" Yang Kai stared at Shen Tu in disbelief.
"Is there a problem?" Shen Tu looked puzzled.
Yang Kai shook his head and said nothing more. The technique Bi Ya cultivated clearly involved draining yang to nourish yin — an extremely wicked art. On the Tongxuan Continent, a woman like her would be universally reviled. She'd likely be killed long before she ever had the chance to grow in power.