Reality

Panlong Island? Yaoguang had some impression of it. A major faction in the Sea of Chaos overseen by a Void Piercing Battle Immortal. It was considered one of the surface-level overlord factions in the Sea of Chaos. As for their conduct... Anyone surviving out in the Sea of Chaos—how could they possibly be righteous? First, without any explanation, they labeled him and Xu Nianhua as "their own" to drag them into the clash. Immediately after, they revealed their identity, lured them with the promise of a thousand Pure Yang Great Pills, and simultaneously issued a veiled threat by pointing out that Panlong Island would never let the matter drop. On top of that, the one who stepped forward was an attractive female cultivator who appeared to practice charms... They had leveraged every usable factor to the absolute limit. Pity... This was Beihai Star. No one here was worthy of trust. For this female cultivator to be bold enough to seek help from an Incandescent White Golden Core like him... Wait! All along the way, to accommodate Xu Nianhua, Yaoguang had matched his flying speed to that of a newly advanced Crimson Golden Core. Was that why they had dared to direct trouble toward them? Contemplating this, Yaoguang glanced at Xu Nianhua, who was green behind the ears and seemed even more unversed in worldly matters than himself. An idea formed in his mind, and he exclaimed, "A true disciple of Panlong Island!?" He seemed to show a hint of trepidation before following up, "If we assist you, are you truly willing to offer a thousand Pure Yang Great Pills?" "I, Zhou Xueyan, swear upon Panlong Island's name that once the crisis has passed, a thousand Pure Yang Great Pills will certainly be presented," the female cultivator declared solemnly without the slightest hesitation. "Very well," Yaoguang said, giving Xu Nianhua a wave. Beside him, Xu Nianhua recalled what Li Hanqiu and Li Qingshan had told him: Beihai Star was fraught with danger, and when venturing outside, one must never seek unnecessary complications. Instinctively, he felt something was off about agreeing to this. Yet he couldn't pinpoint what was wrong. Moreover, since Yaoguang had already given the word, he hesitated no further. Sword in flight, he swooped down rapidly and joined the fray. Seeing Xu Nianhua step in, a Golden Core cultivator from the Black Shark Pirates immediately disengaged and swung his sword across to intercept: "Who goes there!? Mind your own business! I know you have nothing to do with the Zhou family. Leave at once, and I will let bygones be bygones! Otherwise, if you offend our Black Dragon Pirates, don't even dream of leaving the Sea of Chaos alive!" Meanwhile, the Zhou family's Crimson Golden Core shouted aloud to expose their true identity: "What Black Dragon Pirates!? You're just one of the hundreds of petty bands Chief Tong gathered on the fringes to serve as cannon fodder! How dare you try to glorify yourselves with the name of the Black Dragon Pirates!?" "Heh, isn't your Zhou family also clinging to Panlong Island just to scrape by? Don't you swagger around under Panlong Island's banner on ordinary days?" "Our Zhou family's Zhou Wenxian is a true disciple of Panlong Island! Why shouldn't we fly Panlong Island's banner!?" As the Zhou family's Crimson Golden Core spoke, he called out to Yaoguang and Xu Nianhua: "Friends, don't waste time listening to their quibbles! Let us fight shoulder to shoulder and rid the Sea of Chaos of these black sheep! Once we crush this band of Black Shark Pirates, our Zhou family is willing to yield all the spoils to you!" With that, Yaoguang maintained the combat strength of a Crimson Golden Core, directing his Swimming Dragon Sword to strike at the Crimson Golden Core interceptor from the Black Shark Pirates. Joining forces, the two entangled him. Seizing the opportunity, the Zhou family's Golden Core and the others erupted with their full power, fighting with mounting vigor. The balance of the battlefield began to tilt. Seeing that the situation was slipping away, the leading Crimson Golden Core of the Black Shark Pirates cast a venomous glare at Yaoguang: "You have offended our Black Dragon Pirates! No matter where you flee, death awaits you! Just you wait—no one can save you!" With that, he waved his hand sharply: "Retreat!" Immediately, over a dozen Constant Light cultivators led hundreds of Heavenly Fire and Core Formation cultivators back to their respective vessels. The people of the Zhou family dared not pursue them, merely letting the Black Shark Pirates depart. Otherwise, in a fight to the death, even if their side won, more than a dozen Constant Light cultivators and hundreds of Heavenly Fire and Core Formation cultivators would surely suffer heavy casualties, resulting in mutual ruin. "Tally the cargo! We make haste!" The leading Crimson Golden Core of the Zhou family quickly issued orders. The massive vessel started up once more, sailing in the direction of Panlong Island. Taking advantage of the moment, this Golden Core cupped his hands toward Yaoguang and Xu Nianhua with a face full of smiles: "Thank you both for your chivalrous aid. The entire Zhou family is boundlessly grateful. Please accompany us to Panlong Island. I will report this to our family head, who will surely host a banquet in person to express his gratitude and bestow lavish gifts." "No need. Now that the Black Shark Pirates have retreated, please deliver the agreed reward of one thousand Pure Yang Great Pills to us," Yaoguang said directly. At these words, the Zhou family Golden Core's expression subtly shifted. A thousand Pure Yang Great Pills!? What did that even mean!? Many bounties on Radiant Sun Golden Core experts in the Sea of Chaos were only set at this price. Earlier, simply to entice the two Crimson Golden Cores—Yaoguang and Xu Nianhua—to intervene, they had blurted out an irresistible sum. But now, if they were truly expected to cough up a thousand Pure Yang Great Pills... Thoughts churned within this Golden Core, yet his demeanor revealed nothing amiss. Maintaining his smile, he replied, "Of course. Since we promised you a reward of one thousand Pure Yang Great Pills, we will never go back on our word. However, such an enormous sum isn't something we carry on our persons at all times... As it happens, once the family hears of this, they will surely insist on lavishly hosting you. How about we deliver the payment once we arrive?" "What, are you planning to renege on your debt?" Beside him, Xu Nianhua frowned. He had long heard that people on Beihai Star possessed no credibility, morals, or bottom line whatsoever. Was he... about to witness it firsthand? "How could that be? We have no intention of reneging. The Zhou family is a part of Panlong Island, and our family's prodigy is a true disciple of Panlong Island—a genius who achieved the Radiant Sun Golden Core! How could we ruin the Zhou family's reputation in the Sea of Chaos over a mere thousand Pure Yang Great Pills? The simple fact is that we temporarily cannot produce so many Pure Yang Great Pills right now. We can only deliver them after reaching the Zhou family. Rest assured, we will definitely pay the reward we promised." The Zhou family Golden Core swore and gave his assurance. "If you can't produce that many pills, using cargo to offset the value is fine too," Yaoguang spoke up again. "From what I see, this ship's cargo should be worth one or two thousand Pure Yang Great Pills. We'll simply take half as our reward." "Out of the question!" the Zhou family Golden Core blurted out. Sensing that his response was overly hasty, he immediately added, "Most of the goods we purchased on this ship are needed by Panlong Island. Any mishap will incur severe punishment. If things go wrong, everyone aboard could be executed for losing the cargo. Therefore, using cargo to settle the debt is absolutely out of the question." Beside him, Zhou Xueyan couldn't help chiming in, "Honored Real Persons, we truly want to pay the reward immediately, but we genuinely cannot produce a thousand Pure Yang Great Pills right now. We can only make up the amount once we return to our clan. If both of you are too busy and have no time to visit Panlong Island, how about we write an IOU? Whenever you have free time, you can come to Panlong Island and redeem it with our Zhou family." "Not good enough," Yaoguang said. "Everything was agreed upon just moments ago. Are you going back on your word now? Is the Zhou family's word worth nothing more than scrap paper? Now, either hand over one thousand Pure Yang Great Pills, goods worth one thousand Pure Yang Great Pills... or we take them ourselves." At this point, the Zhou family Golden Core's face darkened, his smile fading slightly. "What do you mean by that? Are you trying to copy the Black Shark Pirates? I advise you to think twice. Our Panlong Island is not to be trifled with." As he spoke, without him uttering another command, over a dozen Constant Light cultivators and hundreds of Heavenly Fire realm cultivators of the Zhou family stepped forward, holding their Treasure Weapons. They gradually formed a ring, their eyes turning cold. Earlier, Yaoguang had only fought casually; it was Xu Nianhua who had clashed in earnest against the Black Shark Pirates. Xu Nianhua had only recently advanced to Crimson Golden Core and lacked combat experience. The Zhou family Golden Core felt fully confident that handling him would be child's play. Moreover, if over a dozen Constant Light and hundreds of Heavenly Fire cultivators swarmed together, taking down a newly advanced Crimson Golden Core was well within their power. It was only because they wished to avoid heavy casualties that they held back. "I am merely collecting the reward that rightfully belongs to us according to our agreement. Nothing more," Yaoguang said. "According to the agreement..." Zhou Xueyan suddenly piped up. "According to the agreement, we were to pay you the one thousand Pure Yang Great Pills only after overcoming the crisis! Right now, the Black Shark Pirates may have been driven back, but on the journey back to Panlong Island, who knows if we will encounter other dangers? In other words, the crisis has not been fully resolved! Since the crisis isn't over, naturally we cannot pay you your reward yet." "Our Fourteenth Young Mistress is right," the Zhou family Golden Core said in a heavy voice. "You two have yet to fulfill our agreement and see us safely past the crisis, so naturally we cannot give you the thousand Pure Yang Great Pills." He paused, then added, "Furthermore, this Real Person hasn't fulfilled his side of the agreement, yet he is already slandering our Zhou family's name. You ought to give us an explanation for that." "You..." Hearing the Zhou family Golden Core push his luck further and further, Xu Nianhua's face turned pale with anger. "Are you saying we have to compensate you now!? How can you be so brazenly shameless..." "Because we started reasoning with them," Yaoguang remarked calmly. "When we try to reason with them, they take it as a sign of weakness. Or rather... we have spoken with them for so long, and while their tone has grown increasingly outrageous, we haven't flared up in anger or struck to kill. To them, that is proof of being fierce in appearance but weak at heart. Naturally, their next move is to push their luck even further and manipulate us as they please." Engaging step by step, conversing step by step, probing step by step, and then pushing boundaries inch by inch—this mindset had already become the survival instinct of cultivators on Beihai Star. He looked at Xu Nianhua. "Walking ten thousand miles surpasses reading ten thousand scrolls. Unless one truly experiences the real environment of Beihai Star, one can never comprehend how vile human hearts can be." Xu Nianhua was taken aback. He quickly realized that the reason Yaoguang had refrained from revealing his Incandescent White Golden Core strength was precisely to teach him a lesson using the "reality" of Beihai Star. Or perhaps... It served as a lesson for Yaoguang himself as well. "I now see the true face of Beihai Star," Xu Nianhua said solemnly. Nearby, the Zhou family Golden Core felt an inkling of unease upon hearing their exchange. He hurriedly softened his words: "Friends, I didn't mean you must pay compensation. It was only out of anxiety to protect my family's reputation that I..." "It doesn't matter," Yaoguang waved a hand. In the next instant, his Incandescent White Golden Core surged into motion. Brilliant sword light burst from his hand, instantly dividing into four hundred and thirty-eight beams of sword qi. Like a tempest, they shredded toward the surrounding hostile Constant Light, Heavenly Fire, and Core Formation cultivators brandishing their swords. "It's over."