Chapter 708: Nine Heavens Domain, Profound Sun Domain

With the crisis resolved, the survivors were overcome with joy and immensely grateful to Ye Wushuang.

Byron, however, felt aggrieved. In fact, he was utterly humiliated and deeply ashamed.

Because at the moment of life and death, he had actually run away.

And just as he was fleeing, Ye Wushuang had stepped forward. With just a few words, he had scared the Interstellar Pirates witless, sending them scrambling away in terror. He had saved everyone and resolved the crisis.

It was also a vicious slap in the face, one so painful it left him speechless.

Now, he was filled with hatred. He hated Ye Wushuang for not stepping in sooner to resolve the crisis. It had made him look like a complete fool, and he feared that from this day forward, he would be branded a coward.

"Coward!"

Sure enough, as the crew members came to their senses, they turned to Byron, their eyes filled with contempt.

"He can’t compare to Young Master Ye!"

"And he’s not worthy of Miss Sona!"

One person scoffed, and another chimed in.

Ye Wushuang was a true expert. When faced with Byron’s challenge, he had simply laughed it off, refusing to stoop to his level. He was magnanimous. And at the critical moment, he had saved all their lives.

Byron, on the other hand, had deserted them in the face of the enemy, abandoning them to their fate—the act of a coward.

The former earned their admiration; the latter, their scorn.

The crew members ignored Byron, turning to clean up the bodies on the deck. Looking down at the corpses, they felt incredibly lucky to be alive.

Byron’s face flushed red with rage as he turned to look at Sona.

Sona, however, wouldn’t even spare him a glance. She simply turned and went back inside.

"Ye—Wu—Shuang!"

Seeing this, Byron spat out three words through gritted teeth, his eyes gleaming with a venomous light that looked ready to devour someone. His fists clenched so tightly they cracked. He had burned the name Ye Wushuang into his memory.

Ye Wushuang was unaware of any of this. And even if he had been, what of it? He had never paid any mind to a mere Pseudo-Saint.

Back in his room aboard the merchant guild’s warship, he prepared to study Alchemy, Artifact Refining, and the Array Dao. These skills weren’t particularly useful in the Grand Emperor Domain, but they had plenty of applications out here.

For instance, he needed to concoct a Holy Pill to repair the damage to his Origin, which made Alchemy indispensable.

"Young Master Ye, we should reach the Profound Sun Domain in about four or five days."

He had just sat down when Sona’s voice came from outside. She then entered, her eyes shining with a peculiar light as she gazed at him. ’This remarkable man is so mysterious,’ she thought, ’I want to find out everything about him.’

Ye Wushuang turned to look at Sona. She stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said, "Thank you again for saving us, Young Master!"

"It was nothing. Besides, if Miss Sona was in trouble, how could I possibly stand by and do nothing?" Ye Wushuang said with a faint smile. His words, however, sent Sona’s imagination running wild, making her believe that he was interested in her too.

"Miss Sona, if you have other matters to attend to, please don’t let me keep you," Ye Wushuang said with a smile, noticing her peculiar expression.

"Then please get some rest, Young Master!" Sona looked as if she wanted to say more, but she just mumbled something before departing to handle the affairs of those who had died.

Ye Wushuang now had some time to himself. He sat down and submerged his Divine Sense into the Chaos Dragon Tomb. He ignored the Celestial Dao, heading straight for the Life Star.

The Dragon Cat was bustling about on it, meticulously cataloging all the Spirit Medicine and Treasure Medicine, as well as other rare treasures, as if it were just passing the time.

"What are you doing?"

Ye Wushuang asked with a frown, watching the busy Dragon Cat.

"Hehe, kid, Lord Cat has discovered that this Chaos Space is an amazing place!"

The Dragon Cat zipped over, buzzing with excitement. "Look at this Life Star! Not only has its Great Dao Seal remained intact, but it actively absorbs Chaos Qi for nourishment. The life on it won’t die out!"

’Won’t die out!’

Ye Wushuang swept his Divine Sense over the planet and confirmed it was true. He knew that once a Life Star was separated from the nourishment of the Starry Sky Universe, it would fall into ruin, and all life upon it would perish. Yet, within the Chaos Space, none of that had occurred. This meant the Chaos Space was remarkably similar to the outside universe—it held infinite possibilities!

’If this Life Star remains stable, it could serve as a medicine garden in the future,’ Ye Wushuang mused to himself.

"Hehe, kid, you and Lord Cat are on the same page! The Great Dao Seal on this Life Star is quite good. It’s a perfect natural medicine garden," the Dragon Cat agreed.

"Oh, right. Let me take you to see that other fellow."

As if remembering something, the Dragon Cat led Ye Wushuang to a lower level of the Chaos Space.

Below them lay a Purgatory Space, which had been absorbed into the Chaos Space after they had suppressed the Purgatory Demon Spirit.

When Ye Wushuang arrived, he found that the place had undergone an astonishing transformation.

The Dark Purgatory Demon Fire had been completely assimilated, transformed into Purple Fire. A massive Purple Fire Giant sat cross-legged in the center of the space.

Upon sensing Ye Wushuang’s arrival, the giant’s eyes shot open. The flames rapidly contracted, coalescing into the figure of a middle-aged man. It was none other than the Purple Emperor—the very same Purple Emperor’s Heaven-Burning Flame that Ye Wushuang had subdued in the Fiery Sun Sect.

To Ye Wushuang’s surprise, he had secretly devoured the Purgatory Demon Fire and grown much stronger, now possessing power at least equivalent to the Pseudo-Saint Peak!

"Kid, this guy was doing shady stuff behind your back! He’s up to no good. Kill him," the Dragon Cat growled, glaring viciously at the Purple Emperor.

"No, th... I wasn’t doing anything wrong!"

The Purple Emperor hastily explained, "The Demon Fire in this space has a nourishing and restorative effect. I only devoured it to heal my injuries so that I can better serve you in the future, Master!"

The Purple Emperor’s tone was earnest, utterly devoid of any hint of offense.

He knew full well that in the space above him, the powerful Celestial Dao itself was strung up and slapped across the face!

He could hear it being beaten half to death every single day, a sound that made his own skin crawl.

How could someone as insignificant as him dare to harbor any treacherous thoughts?

"Master, I truly harbor no ill intentions. I only wish to increase my strength so I can be of better help to you!"

the Purple Emperor said respectfully, swallowing the two words "This Emperor" before they could escape his lips.

"Holy crap, that’s shameless! Lord Cat has never seen anyone so damn shameless!" the Dragon Cat cursed, appalled by the Purple Emperor’s sucking-up skills.

Ye Wushuang’s expression darkened. ’When it comes to being shameless,’ he thought, ’who could possibly compare to this furball?’

"I don’t care what you’re planning. You’d best stay in line," Ye Wushuang said, not bothering to waste any more words. The Purple Emperor was bound by the Soul Slave Seal; Ye Wushuang could obliterate him with a single thought, so he wasn’t worried about any tricks.

With that, Ye Wushuang’s Divine Sense withdrew. He then entered the Absolute Space and began his study of Alchemy and Artifact Refining, with a particular focus on the path of Alchemy.

This would be a great help in his efforts to concoct the Holy Pill.

He had to admit, the Alchemy Technique of the Elf Clan was truly profound. It even included methods for creating Treasure Pills and Holy Pills.

"Master, I have a Fire Control Technique I came across by chance. It may be of help to your Alchemy."

The Purple Emperor’s voice suddenly transmitted from the Purgatory Space, echoing throughout the Chaos Space. Ye Wushuang heard it and, with a mere thought, received the Fire Control Technique from the Purple Emperor.

This Fire Control Technique was called the Nine Flavors Fire Manipulation Technique.

Refining elixirs—melting ingredients, extracting their essence, coalescing the elixir, and so on—all depended on one’s Fire Control Technique. Good fire control not only ensured the formation of an elixir but could also enhance its quality.

It was a mandatory skill for any Alchemy Master, one that could even determine their rank.

This Nine Flavors Fire Manipulation Technique he had just received was extraordinary. At its highest level, it allowed for the use of nine different types of flames in Alchemy, making it even more advanced than the Fire Control Technique Qianling had given him.

Ye Wushuang spent some time studying it.

For the rest of the journey, he focused on Alchemy. With his prior experience and the addition of the brilliant Nine Flavors Fire Manipulation Technique, the quality of the elixirs he produced grew higher and higher.

Even Ye Wushuang himself wasn’t sure what level of proficiency he had reached.

Meanwhile, the Dragon Cat blissfully enjoyed the candy-like elixirs.

「Five days later.」 The merchant guild’s warship arrived in the Profound Sun Domain, landing in a city.

The city was bustling and prosperous, with a large population.

Much like the Grand Emperor Domain, most of the inhabitants were humans. Of course, there were also many other races, including the Elf Race, Dwarf Race, and even the Wolf Race.

However, what Ye Wushuang found different was the distinct scent of fire and the fragrance of elixirs that permeated the air, hinting that this world was unique.

As for how exactly it was different... that was something Ye Wushuang would have to discover for himself.