On the Profound Celestial Ice Field.
Gale-force winds howled over a scene of utter devastation. The land was pockmarked with massive craters, shattered icebergs, and pulverized glaciers...
The Dragon Emperor and the other experts stood before the Ice Emperor in silence, a heavy and oppressive atmosphere weighing down on each of them.
The tension was suffocating.
The Dragon Emperor took a deep breath and asked in a low voice, "Ice Emperor, what do we do now?"
Looking at the silent Ice Emperor before him, the Dragon Emperor felt a trace of bitterness and helplessness.
There was a time...
He, along with the Asura Blood Emperor, had been one of the two figures standing at the very pinnacle of the Eastern Continent.
Supreme and unrivaled!
But now...
He had to bow and scrape before the Ice Emperor, not even daring to speak too loudly. The ways of the world were ever-changing and unpredictable!
The Ice Emperor shot him a glance, a grim, cold light flickering in his eyes. "What do we do?" he snarled, grinding his teeth. "Jiang Chen and the others used the Mystic Sect Leader's Token. They've been teleported to who knows where. We can't find a single trace of them now. You tell me what we can do!"
The fury in the Ice Emperor's heart was like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
It burned with an intensity that was reaching its peak!
He had thought that with his power, he could play with Jiang Chen and the others in the palm of his hand, deciding their fates with a single thought.
Faced with his absolute strength, the Ice Emperor had never imagined that Jiang Chen's group would have any chance of survival!
And yet...
The very people he'd dismissed as ants had slipped away right from under his nose.
It was simply unforgivable!
VMM!
The Ice Emperor opened his palm. Two clusters of icy-blue light floated there, each containing a bound soul.
The souls of the Asura Blood Emperor and the Celestial Secret Elder.
Sealed by the Ice Emperor's Divine Power, neither of their souls had succeeded in self-destructing. Smug smiles appeared on their ethereal faces. "Ice Emperor, for all your scheming, you never expected Jiang Chen to receive the Sect Leader's inheritance, did you? That he would possess the Mystic Sect Leader's Token? Hahaha..."
The Ice Emperor's expression grew uglier. His gloomy gaze fixed on the two souls. "Hmph. So what if Jiang Chen escaped? He's just an ant. Do you really think he can overturn the heavens all by himself?"
The Asura Blood Emperor laughed heartily. "Surely you're aware that it's been less than ten years since Jiang Chen began his cultivation? With his talent, perhaps in a few hundred years, or even just a few decades, he will step into the Demigod Realm. When that time comes, you'll die at his hands all the same!"
"As long as Jiang Chen and the others are alive, there is still hope for the Eastern Continent!" the Celestial Secret Elder said calmly. "You will be the one to swallow the bitter fruit that grows from the seeds you have sown today!"
"Hahahaha..."
The Ice Emperor let out a sinister laugh, his face contorted with malice. "You two have some nice dreams," he sneered. "Stepping into the Demigod Realm in a few decades? A few centuries? Let's not even talk about whether that brat can do it. Even if he does become a Demigod, do you think I, this seat, would truly be afraid of him? Didn't you swear up and down that he's the hope of the Eastern Continent? Fine. I, this seat, will keep both your souls right here. I want to personally crush your so-called 'hope' right before your very eyes!"
BOOM!
An incredibly blinding blue radiance suddenly burst from his palm—the Power of the Ice Law.
Two streams of Ice Law Power flowed into the two blue ice orbs that sealed the souls.
"ROAR..."
"Ice Emperor, you'll die a dog's death...!"
Within the two ice orbs, the bloodcurdling screams of the Asura Blood Emperor and the Celestial Secret Elder erupted.
The Ice Emperor sneered sinisterly. "Don't worry. I, this seat, have only infused them with two strands of Law Power. They won't kill you. They will only torture you endlessly. Didn't you say Jiang Chen would come back for revenge in a few decades or centuries? Well then, before I, this seat, kill him, you two can enjoy this 'delicious feast' I've prepared for you!"
With a flick of his wrist, he stored the two ice orbs in his Small World.
He placed them in the coldest corner.
There, he let chains of ice continuously lash their souls.
Making them wish for death, but unable to die!
The Ice Emperor turned to the Dragon Emperor, his gaze chillingly cold. "Dragon Emperor, I, this seat, want you to conquer the entire Eastern Continent within one year. Establish the Ice God Sect and worship me as a god. Furthermore, I want you to immediately take your men to the Cloud Domain. You will break through the Heaven-Soaring Saint Sect, seal the souls of all their experts in Soul Crystals, and then roast and burn them with the Fire of the Earth's Core. I want them to be unable to live and unable to die. When the day comes for Jiang Chen's return, I, this seat, will kill every last person connected to him, right in front of his face!"
"Dare to oppose me, and I will make you regret it for the rest of your life!"
the Ice Emperor said, his face a mask of venomous resentment.
The surrounding experts all sucked in a cold breath, silent as cicadas in winter out of sheer terror.
...
The Azure Sky Sea.
As its name suggested, it was as vast and boundless as the azure sky itself.
The Azure Sky Sea was located in the eastern part of Zhongzhou, lying between it and the other four major states.
Any expert from the four states—East, South, West, or North—who wished to enter Zhongzhou had to pass through the Azure Sky Sea. Due to its vastness, the sea was incredibly difficult to govern. Not even the Four Great Dominators of Zhongzhou were willing to intervene here, and as for the other four states, none had the power to control the Azure Sky Sea.
The Five Major States had an agreement amongst themselves to never interfere with the affairs of the Azure Sky Sea.
Likewise, the powers of the Azure Sky Sea were absolutely forbidden from expanding into the Five Major States.
Thus...
The Azure Sky Sea had become the most chaotic region on the Qiankun Grand Path.
The most common sight on the Azure Sky Sea was pirates!
Some of the more powerful pirate groups even had Emperor Level experts, strong enough to easily wipe out an Upper Grade Dynasty on the Eastern Continent.
And on the Azure Sky Sea, pirate groups of this caliber were innumerable!
「On this day.」
A battered old pirate ship sailed swiftly across the Azure Sky Sea. Its captain, Luu Fei, wore a straw hat and had a scar on his face.
Luu Fei wore a red vest on his upper body, yellow cropped pants, and a pair of wooden clogs. With one foot propped on the railing, he let the sea breeze whip at his clothes and sighed. "Motherfucker! I can't believe those bastards from the Mountain Wild Group were so damn cunning. They actually set up an ambush at the True Dragon Palace ruins. Caused my crew heavy losses, and I almost lost my own life."
'It's just not my year!'
Luu Fei sighed again in frustration.
Just then, a curly-haired young man with a nose as sharp as Pinocchio's after telling a lie ran over, his face flushed with excitement. "Captain," he said to Luu Fei, "I just fished someone out of the water back there!"
"A person?"
Luu Fei was taken aback for a moment, then waved his hand dismissively. "What's so strange about fishing up a dead body these days? Just find an island along the way and bury him."
The curly-haired youth quickly added, "Captain, he's alive! Just badly injured!"
"Oh?"
Luu Fei paused, then said, "Take me to him!"
A short while later...
Luu Fei arrived in the ship's cabin, where several of his pirates were tending to the young man's wounds.
"Make way, the captain's here!" the curly-haired youth shouted.
The men quickly and respectfully made way.
Luu Fei walked over to the young man and frowned. "Heh, this guy's not just lightly injured! Good thing you ran into me, Luu Fei. Your life is saved!"
VMM!
A green light radiated from Luu Fei's body, enveloping the young man.
"Ngh... Wh-where am I? Am I dead?"
Jiang Chen felt as if he was in a pitch-black space when a single point of light appeared. He moved toward it, struggled to open his eyes, and saw a young man in a straw hat, a blade of grass dangling from the corner of his mouth, smiling at him.
Jiang Chen stared blankly for a second before subconsciously asking, "Who are you? Where is this?"
Luu Fei gave a sly grin, rubbed his nose with his thumb, and deliberately activated his True Essence, causing a dazzling and brilliant light to erupt around his body. A confident voice rang in Jiang Chen's ear...
"I am Luu Fei! And I'm the man who will become the Pirate King!"
[We've switched maps, so the writing is a bit slow. Please forgive me! There's one more chapter coming!]