Chapter 621: Guide Yu Hong

The man who led Ye Feng was named Yu Hong, a sword cultivator. His cultivation level had just reached the Pseudo-Empty stage, so he planned to venture into the inner regions again. By chance, he met Ye Feng and stayed at the same inn, which could be considered a form of fate, so they decided to travel together.
“Brother Yu, have you been to this Chaotic Star Sea many times?” Ye Feng asked.
“Not many times. After my cultivation reached the peak of the Star Realm level, I felt it was difficult to make further progress, so I came here to gain experience. Since then, I’ve hardly left. I think I’ve been in this Chaotic Star Sea for over a hundred billion years,” Yu Hong said with a smile. “As for someone like you, even without looking at your cultivation level, it’s obvious you’re new here. Those unscrupulous merchants have sharp eyes—they won’t try to deceive someone like you.”
“Uh, how can one tell if someone is new here without looking at their cultivation level?” Ye Feng was puzzled. He had thought that by hiding his cultivation level, others wouldn’t be able to tell if he was real or not, but Yu Hong said otherwise.
“Think about it. On that street that day, how many people were looking around curiously like you, finding everything new?” Yu Hong revealed the truth, making Ye Feng suddenly understand.
“No wonder…” Ye Feng remembered that his behavior that day indeed resembled that of Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden—easily recognizable as a novice. But he was still confused.
“The Chaotic Star Sea is different from other places in the Star Realm. There are no rules—might makes right. Those with insufficient strength often resort to unscrupulous methods to survive. That’s why there are many bullies, unscrupulous merchants, scammers, robbers, and thieves in this area…” Yu Hong said earnestly.
“Oh…” Ye Feng seemed indifferent. “By the way, Brother Yu, you’re a sword cultivator, right?”
“That’s right!” Yu Hong nodded.
“Then have you learned any sword techniques?” Ye Feng couldn’t help asking.
“I only learned two sword techniques after reaching the Pseudo-Empty stage. Both were given to me by my master—one for offense and one for defense,” Yu Hong nodded. “Martial techniques are different from other techniques. Normally, one must reach the True-Empty stage and have a certain understanding of the laws of the universe to master them. The reason I was able to learn sword techniques at the Pseudo-Empty stage is because I’ve practiced with swords since I was young. My understanding of sword techniques far exceeds that of those with the same cultivation level.”

“What are the essential differences between martial arts divine powers, elemental divine powers, and those special types of divine powers?” Ye Feng thought it would be much more reliable to ask a proper sword cultivator this question rather than figure it out on his own, as it had been bothering him for some time.
“The differences are significant. Elemental divine powers are innate powers bestowed by the Heavenly Dao, drawing on the strength of heaven and earth. Special types of divine powers usually involve extreme abilities that, to some extent, fall on the fringes of the Heavenly Dao—some even belong to the category of forbidden powers, which can incur punishment from the Heavenly Dao if used. Martial arts divine powers, on the other hand, are the result of organisms struggling against their environment, relying on their own strength. For this reason, they require high physical strength and personal comprehension.”
“But as far as I know, experts in martial arts divine powers are stronger than those with other divine powers at the same cultivation level, right?” Ye Feng pressed further.
“You could say that. The strength of a divine power depends on the user’s cultivation level and physical condition. Experts in martial arts divine powers at the same cultivation level have much greater physical strength, better control over their bodies, better mastery of combat rhythm, and greater proficiency in close combat,” Yu Hong nodded. “In fact, in the intermediate main plane, almost everyone practices martial arts divine powers, though not as intensively as we sword cultivators. So, it’s not difficult to obtain them there.”
“I see.” Ye Feng finally understood why he was able to exchange for five martial arts divine powers. Since such powers were common in the intermediate main plane, it was natural that some would end up in the lower main plane. However, Ye Feng didn’t feel he had lost out, as even second-tier divine techniques were rarely practiced in the intermediate main plane. At least, many people there still practiced martial arts divine powers.
“How long will it take us to reach the boundary between the outer realm and the inner realm?” Ye Feng asked about another topic that concerned him.
“At our current speed, if we take the shortest route straight through the outer realm, it will take about ten days,” Yu Hong explained. “But we can’t go straight now; we need to take a detour, so it will take around thirty-five days to arrive.”

“Why take a detour?” Ye Feng frowned slightly. Although he had plenty of time—both of them used instant teleportation, and the distance covered in a single move was already terrifyingly great—taking an extra 25 days meant they had to travel a very long distance. Under normal circumstances, Ye Feng’s instant teleportation couldn’t compare to Yu Hong’s, as their cultivation levels were far apart. But with space teleportation techniques, Ye Feng didn’t have to worry about this at all. His speed might not match Yu Hong’s, but it was still on par with peak Star Universe-level warriors. Naturally, Yu Hong slowed down to wait for Ye Feng, though he thought Ye Feng also reached the peak of Star Universe level.

“There are many strong warriors in the Chaotic Star Sea. Some of them become local tyrants once they arrive here. Since the resources here are so tempting, they claim certain areas as their territories and dominate them. If we go in a straight line, we’ll enter one of those tyrants’ territories. They’ll rob outsiders who enter their lands, so it’s better to avoid that area,” Yu Hong said, also feeling somewhat helpless.

“There are such things?” Ye Feng frowned. Such blatant robbery was unheard of. “Is that guy very strong?”

“Those who do this are strong warriors at the peak of the Pseudo-Empty level. With my strength, which I’ve just reached the Pseudo-Empty level, I’m not even a match for them,” Yu Hong said helplessly.

“What if the person being robbed refuses to give it?” Ye Feng asked.

“Then they’ll kill them and take the treasures…” Yu Hong said as if it were perfectly normal, but Ye Feng knew it was likely true.

“Then we’ll just pass through that territory!” A fierce look flashed in Ye Feng’s eyes.

“What…?” Yu Hong was stunned. He doubted he had heard correctly.

“If we go through, it’ll save us a lot of time!” Ye Feng said without hesitation.

“But I’m no match for that guy. If we go in like that, it would be a huge fortune if he even left us our pants,” Yu Hong said with a grim expression. Clearly, he wasn’t willing to take that risk with Ye Feng.

“It’s fine. It’s just a guy at the peak of the Pseudo-Empty level, right?” Ye Feng smiled. “I have a way to deal with him. If he really steals something from me, I’ll compensate you for everything.”

“But your cultivation level…” Yu Hong wasn’t optimistic about Ye Feng.

“Brother Yu, if you don’t trust my strength, we can have a spar…” Ye Feng said confidently with a smile.

“Do you want to spar with me?” Yu Hong could hardly believe it. His own cultivation level was already at the Pseudo-Empty stage, and as a sword master, his combat strength was comparable to that of those at the mid or even late Pseudo-Empty stage. In his eyes, Ye Feng’s cultivation level was only at the peak of the Star Universe stage, so it was absolutely impossible for him to defeat Yu Hong. “If that’s the case, I’ll show you the strength of a Pseudo-Empty stage warrior. If you lose, just follow me obediently and don’t even think about crossing through that area.”
“If Brother Yu loses, then you’ll have to take me through that area!” Ye Feng was also full of confidence.