A violent explosion rocked the pirate ship.
A young man in tattered robes burst out from below deck, his hands shackled but his eyes blazing with defiance. Behind him, dozens of slaves and cultivators followed, attacking the pirate crew with whatever weapons they could grab.
The battle turned chaotic. Blood splattered across the deck as the slaves fought desperately for freedom.
Yun Lintian's gaze swept over the scene indifferently—until his divine sense caught a glimpse of a particular figure.
Her robes were torn, her long, dried hair covering most of her face. But through the strands, Yun Lintian could see her features clearly.
Yet he couldn't place where he had seen her before.
The young man leading the rebellion roared, shattering his shackles with brute force. "Kill them all!"
The pirates, caught off guard, scrambled to suppress the uprising. But the slaves fought like cornered beasts—some wielding broken chains, others using stolen swords.
The slave rebellion raged across the deck, but the tides quickly turned. The Black Sea Pirates, seasoned in brutality, regrouped with vicious efficiency. Swords flashed, and blood painted the wooden planks crimson.
At the center of the chaos, the young woman Yun Lintian had noticed stumbled backward, her legs trembling. Beside her, a slightly older woman in tattered servant's robes stood protectively, wielding a broken chain like a whip.
"Miss, stay behind me!" the maidservant shouted, her voice hoarse but firm.
The young woman clutched her torn sleeves, her face pale. She was pitifully weak—her cultivation suppressed, her body malnourished. Yet, there was something in her eyes, a flicker of stubbornness that refused to die.
Suddenly, a pirate lunged, his blade aimed at the maidservant's throat.
"Xiao Lan!" the young woman screamed.
The maidservant—Xiao Lan—barely dodged, but the pirate's second strike came too fast. A slash tore across her shoulder, sending her crashing to the deck. Blood pooled beneath her.
"No!" The young woman scrambled forward, tears streaming down her cheeks. She grabbed a fallen dagger, her hands shaking as she pointed it at the advancing pirates.
"D-Don't come closer!"
"Look at this little rabbit trying to bite!" one sneered, raising his sword.
The young woman shut her eyes, bracing for the end…
Linlin, perched on Yun Lintian's shoulder, tilted her head. "Big Brother Yun... why are you frowning?"
Yun Lintian didn't answer.
His gaze remained fixed on the young woman. That face—why did it tug at his memories?
First, Yue Xinling who looked like Lin Xinyao and now this woman, who seemed to be someone he knew but he couldn't remember.
Then, as the pirate's blade descended—
Yun Lintian took a single step forward.
And he appeared directly above the ship.
Without a word, he flicked his wrist.
Every pirate on the deck exploded into crimson mist.
The slaves froze, their weapons mid-swing. The young woman's eyes snapped open, her breath hitching as she stared at the figure descending from the sky like a vengeful deity.
Yun Lintian landed lightly on the blood-slick deck, his robes untouched by the carnage.
Qingqing wrinkled her nose. "Ew, it stinks!"
Linlin stared at the young woman curiously. It seemed her Big Brother Yun came for her.
Yun Lintian ignored them, his mismatched eyes locking onto the trembling young woman.
The young woman's lips parted, but no sound came out. Behind her, Xiao Lan coughed weakly, clutching her bleeding shoulder.
The young woman didn't move. She just stared at Yun Lintian, her tears still fresh.
Yun Lintian didn't answer. Instead, he raised a hand, and a surge of emerald light enveloped Xiao Lan's wound. The maidservant gasped as her flesh knitted back together.
The young woman's eyes widened. "You... you healed her?"
Yun Lintian studied her closely. "Answer my question. Who are you?"
She swallowed hard, then straightened slightly, as if mustering the last of her dignity.
"I... I am Su Xinyue... of the Falling Star Pavilion."
Yun Lintian raised his brow slightly. Her name didn't register anything in his mind but somehow Yun Lintian felt that she was familiar to him.
Before he could ponder further, a monstrous roar echoed from below deck.
"WHO DARES KILL MY MEN?!"
The ship trembled as a massive figure burst through the wooden planks—a towering brute clad in black iron armor, his aura crushing the air around him.
The moment the massive figure emerged from below deck, Su Xinyue's face paled.
"T-That's the ship's captain!" she gasped, grabbing Yun Lintian's sleeve in panic. "He's a God Ascension Realm expert! Run, please!"
Yun Lintian didn't move.
The captain's eyes swept across the deck—his men slaughtered, their corpses strewn like broken dolls. His gaze finally landed on Yun Lintian, pristine amidst the carnage.
"Who the hell are you?" the captain snarled, his voice like grinding stones.
Yun Lintian didn't answer.
He simply raised his hand—
—and the captain was yanked forward like a puppet on strings, his massive body helpless against Yun Lintian's will.
Before the captain could react, Yun Lintian pressed a finger to his forehead.
The captain's memories flooded into Yun Lintian's mind—all the atrocities he had committed.
Soon, he found what he was searching for—the Black Sea God's island, shrouded in eternal storm.
With a flick of his wrist—
The captain's neck snapped like dry twig. His lifeless body crumpled to the deck.
Su Xinyue stared, her lips trembling. "H-He's... dead?"
Yun Lintian turned to the young man who had led the slave rebellion earlier. "Gather the rest. The ship is clear."
The young man, still gripping a bloodied sword, blinked. "The... rest?"
Yun Lintian nodded. "The pirates below deck are already dead."
As if on cue, the hatch burst open—
—and a flood of emaciated figures poured onto the deck. Men, women, children, elders—thousands of captives, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"We're... free?" a little girl whispered, clinging to her mother's tattered robes.
The young rebel leader staggered back, his voice hoarse. "H-How...?"
Yun Linyun had killed every pirate aboard without lifting a finger.
Qingqing wrinkled her nose. "Big Brother Yun, can we go now? It stinks here."
Su Xinyue, still gripping Yun Lintian's sleeve, suddenly spoke up. "W-Wait! These people... they have nowhere to go. The Black Sea Pirates will hunt them down!"
Yun Lintian glanced at the sea of desperate faces. He raised his hand and an emerald light immediately enveloped everyone, healing their wounds from the soul level.
At the same time, the Gate of Beyond Heaven appeared and opened, revealing a bustling scene of the Nine Firmament City behind.
"Go," Yun Lintian said simply.