The Pirates Who Remembered

The ancient patterns along the Cosmic Ark were still flickering, quietly absorbing a kind of energy that even Hao Nhien could not yet identify.

The amount was incredibly small.

So faint that without his soul connection to the vessel, he doubted he would have noticed it at all.

At that moment, the Cosmic Ark suddenly moved.

Hao Nhien turned toward Little Spirit.

The child was sitting on the railing, legs swinging idly, eyes fixed on the dimly glowing patterns beneath his feet.

“Little Spirit, did you make the Ark move?”

“No.”

“Then it moved on its own?”

“Mm.”

Hao Nhien looked ahead.

The Cosmic Ark was slowly gliding across the sea without any urging from him and without any sign of True Qi consumption.

After traveling a short distance, its bow adjusted direction on its own, as though following some invisible trace through the gray mist.

“Where does it want to go?”

Little Spirit shook his head.

“Can’t see yet.”

“Then how does it know the direction?”

The child tilted his head and thought for a while.

“Searching.”

Hao Nhien’s attention sharpened slightly.

He had long known that the Cosmic Ark possessed some degree of awareness.

At times, it could even absorb spiritual energy on its own without requiring its master’s control.

But actively choosing a direction like this was still rare.

Hao Nhien tried sending an intention through their connection, telling the vessel to stop.

The Cosmic Ark immediately slowed and came to rest on the water.

But the moment he withdrew that intention, the patterns along its wooden hull glowed faintly again.

The bow slowly turned back toward its previous direction.

Hao Nhien observed for a while longer.

In the end, he stopped interfering.

“All right.”

“Let it go.”

Little Spirit nodded, looking slightly pleased, then lowered his head again to study the hull.

Lang Tuyet had watched the entire process from beside him.

A thoughtful look passed through her eyes.

“You’re going to let it lead the way?”

“For now, let’s see where it wants to go.”

“We don’t have another target anyway.”

She nodded faintly.

Then looked toward the Azure Sea Vessel.

“That one…”

“Let it follow us.”

“We may still need it.”

Lang Tuyet sent a thin strand of spiritual energy toward the Azure Sea Vessel.

The gray vessel slowly turned and followed behind the Cosmic Ark.

Hao Nhien suddenly asked,

“The tracking mark you left on it is still there?”

“Mm.”

The corner of Lang Tuyet’s mouth lifted slightly.

“Leave it.”

“When we need to mislead someone, we’ll have something for them to chase.”

Hao Nhien nodded and asked no more.

Lanh Hoa stood at the stern of the Cosmic Ark.

He watched the Azure Sea Vessel trailing behind, then looked toward the mist ahead.

One hand remained near his sword.

His expression was as steady as ever.

The two ships continued deeper into the gray sea.

The Azure Sea Vessel moved through the formation beneath its hull.

The Cosmic Ark followed its own direction.

The ancient patterns along its wooden body occasionally lit up.

The amount of energy being absorbed remained so faint as to be almost negligible.

Standing at the bow, Hao Nhien gradually formed a hypothesis.

Perhaps the scattered energy in the surroundings was not what the Cosmic Ark truly wanted.

Perhaps it was following those tiny traces toward whatever source produced them.

He looked into the mist ahead.

He could not help wondering what waited at the end of that route.

At that moment, the Sea Market Disk at his waist suddenly trembled.

Hao Nhien took it out.

The words Priceless Sea Route were still displayed across the black-jade surface.

But beneath them appeared a new warning.

Route Data Deviating.

Lang Tuyet stepped closer.

After reading it, she immediately took out her own Sea Mark and compared the two.

“Have we left the route?”

“No warning about crossing the permitted boundary.”

Hao Nhien raised his Sea Mark.

The blue ring of water within still rotated slowly.

There was no sign that contact had been lost.

Lang Tuyet looked toward the direction the Cosmic Ark was traveling.

“Then perhaps the thing deviating is not our position.”

Hao Nhien also looked ahead.

Nothing appeared unusual.

Only gray mist.

Small waves.

An empty sea.

But only moments later, all three Sea Marks suddenly became hot.

The blue rings inside spun rapidly.

Light flickered across the jade.

Hao Nhien was about to examine them when the movement abruptly stopped.

At the same time, the sea around the Cosmic Ark became completely still.

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Hao Nhien noticed immediately.

The wind was still blowing.

The mist was still drifting.

But the waves that had continuously struck the hull were gone.

Within several zhang of the Cosmic Ark, the water had become flat as glass.

Behind them, however, the Azure Sea Vessel was still leaving ordinary ripples.

Hao Nhien quietly sensed the Wind Momentum around him.

The currents of air moved exactly as before.

Yet the sea beneath them showed no corresponding reaction.

The discrepancy reminded him of the experiments he had just performed.

Wind and water naturally influenced one another.

But here, that relationship seemed to have been severed within a specific region.

“Something’s wrong.”

Lang Tuyet turned.

“What?”

Hao Nhien pointed toward the sea.

“The wind is still moving.”

“The water isn’t.”

She released her spiritual sense.

Very quickly, she noticed the same anomaly.

More importantly, the region of perfectly still water extended forward in the exact direction the Cosmic Ark was moving.

Lang Tuyet narrowed her eyes.

“It feels like we’re entering an area with different rules.”

“Possibly.”

Hao Nhien did not rush to a conclusion.

This was the Void Realm.

Even the Earth Spirit Merchant Association admitted it controlled only part of this place.

Strange phenomena here could not necessarily be explained through ordinary understanding.

Little Spirit had also stood up.

The child stared into the mist ahead.

The Sea Market Disk trembled again.

The previous warning disappeared.

A new line replaced it.

Unrecorded Sea Phenomenon.

The moment Lang Tuyet finished reading, a low sound came from somewhere deep within the mist.

Boom.

The sea beneath the Cosmic Ark trembled faintly.

Then became still again.

Hao Nhien raised his head.

It sounded like a drum.

But the mist distorted the sound enough that he could not judge the distance.

A short while later, it came again.

Boom.

Clearer this time.

Little Spirit placed one small hand against the railing.

Then suddenly looked up.

“Something’s coming.”

“Where?”

The child pointed forward.

“In the mist.”

Hao Nhien immediately focused.

Before long, a thin black line appeared through the gray.

It quickly widened into the outline of a ship’s bow emerging from the fog.

What caught Hao Nhien’s attention was the water ahead.

It remained completely still.

A vessel of that size and speed should already have been displacing water long before becoming visible.

Yet the sea did not react until the bow had almost completely emerged from the mist.

BOOM!

A large wave suddenly surged outward.

Hao Nhien narrowed his eyes.

“Lang Tuyet.”

“Did you notice?”

She looked at the sea.

“The wave came too late.”

“Mm.”

“The ship arrived first.”

“Then the water reacted.”

Lang Tuyet’s expression turned serious.

The dark-red vessel continued bursting through the mist.

It was nearly three times larger than the Cosmic Ark.

Its red-black wooden hull was covered in deep slash marks.

One mast leaned heavily to the side.

A torn flag snapped in the wind.

On it was the image of a skull with a sea wave passing through one eye socket.

Many figures stood silently across the deck.

No conversation.

No chaotic movement.

None of the noise expected from a vessel moving at speed.

Most wore old, damaged leather armor.

They carried curved sabers, spears, or crossbows.

One lacked an arm.

Another had a deep wound across his face.

None showed pain.

Hao Nhien found the scene increasingly strange.

Before he could study them more closely, a man standing at the bow of the red ship slowly raised one hand.

Almost instantly, every figure on deck turned toward the Cosmic Ark.

“A ship!”

The shout had barely sounded when more than a dozen black grappling hooks tore through the air.

Hao Nhien immediately understood their target.

Not a single hook was aimed at anyone on deck.

Every one of them was directed at the Cosmic Ark itself.

The Azure Sea Vessel trailing behind was completely ignored.

“They’re only targeting your ship.”

Lang Tuyet’s voice was low.

“I noticed.”

Hao Nhien did not know why.

There was no time to speculate.

“Move the Azure Sea Vessel away.”

Lang Tuyet nodded.

She sent a strand of spiritual energy toward the gray vessel.

The Azure Sea Vessel immediately slowed, then turned away from the coming battle.

The tracking mark remained untouched.

At the same time, the Tieu Dao Sword appeared in midair.

Under Hao Nhien’s spiritual sense, the flying sword became a streak of sword light and shot toward the incoming hooks.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Seven hooks were severed one after another.

The broken chains fell toward the sea.

Instead of sinking, however, they transformed into streams of black water and rapidly dissolved.

On the left, Lanh Hoa had already drawn his sword.

True Qi circulated through him.

A slash of sword energy knocked aside three hooks approaching the hull.

At Foundation Establishment, he could not directly contend with the strongest figures aboard the red vessel.

But his combat experience allowed him to choose exactly which attacks needed to be stopped.

Another volley of crossbow bolts immediately followed.

Lang Tuyet flicked her hand.

Four talismans fell around the bow.

A thin barrier of light formed.

Most of the bolts changed direction the moment they struck it.

Only a few pierced through.

The Tieu Dao Sword changed direction instantly.

Sword light swept sideways.

The remaining bolts were knocked away.

Boom!

The drum sounded again.

At nearly the same moment, the pirates aboard the red vessel leapt overboard.

Beneath each of them, a rotten wooden plank suddenly surfaced.

The planks carried them rapidly across the sea.

Hao Nhien was preparing to attack when he noticed something.

The boards moved with almost no waves.

The water beneath them showed none of the displacement their speed should have caused.

The same discrepancy as the red ship.

He spoke immediately.

“Lang Tuyet.”

“Don’t use the water’s reaction to predict their attack direction.”

She glanced toward the approaching planks.

Then understood.

“I see it.”

The first pirate was already close.

Late Foundation Establishment aura erupted.

The curved saber in his hand slashed toward Hao Nhien’s shoulder, carrying a freezing saber force.

Hao Nhien did not retreat.

The Fire Spirit Sword appeared in his right hand.

He angled it upward and intercepted the strike.

Clang!

The impact felt completely real.

The weight of the saber.

The sharpness of the saber force.

The shock running through his wrist.

All of it.

But what caught Hao Nhien’s attention was what had happened before the strike.

Or rather—

what had not happened.

He had barely sensed any process of power accumulation.

The saber force had suddenly reached full strength the instant the technique was released.

As though the result had already been predetermined while the process leading to it had been omitted.

Hao Nhien rotated his wrist.

The Fire Spirit Sword changed angle.

Its tip pierced directly toward the pirate’s throat.

Pfft!

The man’s body burst apart.

It transformed into black water and scattered into the sea.

Three more immediately closed in.

Hao Nhien guided the Tieu Dao Sword through the chest of one who attempted to attack from behind.

At the same time, he swept the Fire Spirit Sword horizontally, forcing the other two back.

Then a large man suddenly charged from the left.

His aura was equivalent to an early Golden Core cultivator.

A long scar ran from his forehead down across his left cheek.

He carried a curved saber with a chipped section along its spine.

The pirate brought the saber down.

Hao Nhien immediately raised the Fire Spirit Sword.

The two weapons collided.

Saber force and firelight exploded outward.

The opponent continued pressing forward.

He did not notice the Tieu Dao Sword silently circling behind him under Hao Nhien’s spiritual control.

Pfft!

The flying sword pierced his chest from behind.

Hao Nhien immediately followed with the Fire Spirit Sword.

Two bursts of sword force erupted from front and rear.

The pirate’s body shattered into black water.

Hao Nhien did not stop to watch.

Others were already closing in.

The battle quickly spread around the Cosmic Ark.

Lanh Hoa guarded one side of the hull.

His swordsmanship remained tight and controlled.

Again and again, he deflected dangerous attacks.

He did not attempt to overpower his enemies.

He focused on holding position and preventing them from reaching the deck.

Lang Tuyet stood near the bow.

Talismans continuously flew from her hands, working together with a jade ring to create layers of defense and restraint.

Hao Nhien handled most of the stronger opponents.

The Fire Spirit Sword fought at close range.

The Tieu Dao Sword attacked from changing directions under spiritual control.

After some time, Hao Nhien began noticing something else.

The pirates seemed incapable of fear.

One had an arm severed by sword energy.

He kept charging.

Another had both legs bound by Lang Tuyet’s talisman.

He struggled forward anyway, ignoring the damage.

One had his abdomen completely pierced.

He still continued swinging his saber until his entire body was destroyed and dissolved into black water.

They did not care about casualties.

They showed no sign of retreating.

Every action was directed toward one goal.

Reach the Cosmic Ark.

Take it.

That made Hao Nhien even more cautious.

Earth One had warned them that within the Void Realm, what they saw might not be real.

But the choices made by those who entered were always real.

Hao Nhien was beginning to understand why the old man had emphasized that distinction.

The pirates before them could fight.

They possessed strength.

They could injure people.

Yet after being destroyed, their bodies became black water.

Nothing about that resembled ordinary cultivators.

Treating them simply as real pirates would mean overlooking too many inconsistencies.

The battle continued for nearly half a quarter-hour.

After destroying several waves of attackers, Hao Nhien noticed that the number of pirates surrounding the Cosmic Ark had finally begun to thin.

Yet the dark-red ship in the distance still showed no sign of retreat.

Hao Nhien had just knocked aside a spear with the Tieu Dao Sword when a familiar figure stepped out from the cabin of the red vessel.

He froze slightly.

A large frame.

A scar from forehead to left cheek.

A curved saber with a chipped spine.

The same pirate Hao Nhien had already killed.

He looked more carefully.

Even the battered leather armor was identical.

No wounds remained.

The pirate immediately leapt from the deck.

A rotten board rose beneath his feet and carried him toward the Cosmic Ark.

Hao Nhien did not attack immediately.

He waited until the man came close.

Then he struck first with the Fire Spirit Sword.

At the same time, he quietly guided the Tieu Dao Sword behind him, repeating the same combination that had killed the man before.

But this time—

the instant the flying sword approached, the pirate suddenly twisted aside.

Whoosh!

The sword tip only tore through the armor at his shoulder.

Hao Nhien narrowed his eyes.

Previously, the pirate had shown no awareness of the attack from behind.

Now, after returning, he had avoided the very technique that had killed him.

Hao Nhien immediately changed the angle of the Fire Spirit Sword and forced the opponent backward.

But instead of pursuing, he sent the Tieu Dao Sword circling farther out.

He maintained just enough distance to observe.

The pirate no longer attacked as recklessly as before.

Whenever Hao Nhien raised the Fire Spirit Sword, the man kept part of his attention on the Tieu Dao Sword.

He even began changing position deliberately to avoid being caught between the two blades.

A thought gradually formed in Hao Nhien’s mind.

Not only had this pirate returned after dissolving into black water—

he had learned from the method that killed him.

Coincidence?

Or did he truly remember the previous exchange?

Hao Nhien could not yet be certain.

But he no longer wanted to test the question simply by killing the man again.

“Lang Tuyet!”

She was using the jade ring to stop a chain when she immediately looked over.

“What?”

Hao Nhien continued fighting as he answered in a low voice.

“I killed this one already.”

“Now he’s back.”

“And he knows how to avoid the attack that killed him.”

Lang Tuyet immediately looked toward the scarred man.

“You think they can revive?”

“Not sure.”

“But if they can…”

“Continuing to kill them may not be the best solution.”

Lang Tuyet narrowed her eyes slightly.

“Then let’s try keeping one alive.”