Chapter 1099: Investigation

Dongbo Xueying stood amidst the boundless chaos void, his heart icy cold, his face turning pale.

Countless thoughts surged within him—worry, unease, fear…

“No.”

Dongbo Xueying scanned his surroundings. “How could the Sevenstar Sea Sacred Realm, one of the Five Great Sacred Realms, just vanish like this? Or did my teleportation deviate too far?”

**Boom—**

His consciousness expanded through the void, sweeping across the vast expanse in all directions. Countless universes and floating lands fell under his perception. Having hunted the Annihilation Demons for trillions of years, Dongbo Xueying was intimately familiar with every corner of the chaos void. Just as when he had reincarnated into the Radiant Star Realm, a single sweep of his consciousness across the entire realm confirmed his location.

Because he had scouted it before.

The same logic applied to the Sevenstar Sea Sacred Realm—he knew its surroundings well.

“This is indeed where the Sevenstar Sea Sacred Realm should be. But how could it just… disappear?” Even as a Cosmic God, Dongbo Xueying couldn’t suppress his anxiety. The Sevenstar Sea Sacred Realm was tied to too many people he cared about—his wife and children, old friends who had left their home universe, his fellow disciples from the Sky Void Palace…

“Only a mere ten billion years have passed. What could have happened?” Suppressing his unease, Dongbo Xueying vanished without a trace.

—

**Whoosh.**

The next moment, he reappeared in the endless void outside the Eastern Dragon Sacred Realm, another of the Five Great Sacred Realms.

“This is it.” Dongbo Xueying exhaled in relief as he gazed upon the vast, majestic realm in the distance. The Eastern Dragon Sacred Realm remained intact.

Logically speaking, the hundred billion years he had spent in the Heart Realm Continent were but a blink for powerful cultivators. The chaos void shouldn’t have undergone drastic changes. Yet, the disappearance of the Sevenstar Sea Sacred Realm filled him with dread. He had even feared that the Eastern Dragon Sacred Realm might have met the same fate.

“The Eastern Dragon Sacred Realm has deeper foundations. The Blade Emperor, the Void Primogenitor, and even that enigmatic Lord Luo reside here,” Dongbo Xueying mused.

Lord Luo was merely a Chaos Realm cultivator, yet his combat power surpassed even the Void Primogenitor’s level. In Dongbo Xueying’s estimation, even if the likes of Patriarch Fan descended here using the Great Shattered Realm Teleportation Art, they would still be suppressed to the Chaos Realm, their strength vastly diminished. Lord Luo’s power defied all logic.

“Could Lord Luo be an outsider?” Dongbo Xueying wondered. “Is this just one of his avatars? If even an avatar, suppressed by the supreme laws, is this strong, how terrifying must his true form be? Likely surpassing even Patriarch Fan! If he could unleash his full power, he might even be able to deal with the Sacred Master directly. But as an outsider, even at the Chaos Realm, he can only barely match a second-tier Cosmic God—still inferior to the Blade Emperor or the Witch Ancestor.”

With a single step, Dongbo Xueying entered the Eastern Dragon Sacred Realm, descending upon a grand city at random.

The city bustled with countless cultivators.

Just as the Sevenstar Sea Sacred Realm had its “Sevenstar Sea Pavilion” for trade, the Eastern Dragon Sacred Realm had its counterpart—the “Eastern Dragon Hall.”

“Eastern Dragon Hall.” Dongbo Xueying arrived at the branch hall in this city, gazing up at the towering structure before him.

“Esteemed guest, welcome to the Eastern Dragon Hall. We possess all things and encompass all knowledge,” a beautiful True God attendant greeted him.

Dongbo Xueying had completely concealed his aura using the Nine Revolutions Indestructible Art, deliberately exuding a cold, murderous presence. A silver mask obscured his face, and he projected only the aura of a Unity Realm cultivator. If a mysterious Cosmic God were to arrive, even the branch hall master would be alarmed—let alone the likes of the Blade Emperor.

Soon, he was led to an elegant chamber where delicacies and fine wine were served, the attendant remaining by his side.

A Unity Realm expert was already considered a formidable figure in any major city.

“I have been in seclusion for hundreds of billions of years,” Dongbo Xueying spoke. “Upon emerging, I heard that the Sevenstar Sea Sacred Realm has vanished?”

“Indeed. It was the result of a great battle,” the attendant replied with a smile.

“A battle?” Dongbo Xueying feigned confusion.

“It is said to be related to the Sacred Master, though the details are beyond my knowledge,” the attendant said. Even if she knew more, she wouldn’t divulge it freely. Common knowledge was one thing, but valuable intelligence had to be purchased.

Dongbo Xueying’s heart clenched.

The Sacred Master?

This aligned with his suspicions. For an entire Sacred Realm to vanish—unless the likes of Ancestor Tianyu had gone mad, only the Sacred Master would dare such an act.

“I wish to know the full details of the Sevenstar Sea Sacred Realm’s disappearance, as well as any other major events of the past few hundred billion years,” Dongbo Xueying stated.

“How detailed do you require?” the attendant asked.

“The more detailed, the better.”

The attendant nodded slightly, seemingly communicating with her superiors.

“This intelligence is highly sensitive. It will cost one Source Realm Stone,” she said.

“I have some ‘Tri-Colored Goldthread Stones.'”

With a wave of his hand, Dongbo Xueying produced eighteen semi-transparent stones shimmering with three hues, golden threads swirling within. “Will these suffice as one Source Realm Stone?” These were materials he had directly manifested within his Illusory Realm Universe.

His ability to create objects was limited to those he fully understood. Powerful treasures like the “Five Phases Pearl” or rare materials with intricate internal structures were beyond his current capacity to replicate. But for lesser materials, his mastery allowed him to conjure them at will—albeit at a higher energy cost.

As the only Cosmic God in the chaos void to command an “Illusory Realm Universe,” his wealth could easily rank among the top. Yet, truly priceless treasures could never be obtained with mere quantities of lesser materials.

“These will suffice,” the attendant quickly agreed.

—

Soon, a dossier was presented to Dongbo Xueying.

Accepting the deep violet scroll, he unfurled it. Words materialized on its surface as a flood of information poured into his mind.

**The Sacred Master captured Sky Void Palace’s Illusory Realm Hall Master, Dongbo Xueying. Dongbo Xueying perished in the Ancient Sacred Realm.**

**Three million years after Dongbo Xueying’s death, the Sacred Master infiltrated Sky Void Palace in secret, launching a sudden assassination attempt.**

**A cataclysmic battle erupted without warning!**

**The Witch Ancestor, the Realm Ancestor, and others joined the fray.**

**In this battle, the Sacred Master seemed utterly deranged. In the end, the entire Sevenstar Sea Sacred Realm was shattered. Sky Void Palace, the Ancestral Island, and the Radiant Light Sacred Land barely managed to evacuate some of their major cities’ populations. The rest of the Sacred Realm’s inhabitants—countless souls across its boundless expanse—were nearly annihilated in the destruction.**

—

Dongbo Xueying’s face darkened. An entire Sacred Realm’s populace, nearly wiped out?

The dossier was meticulous, even noting that during the Sacred Master’s assault on Sky Void Palace, he had swiftly captured a number of its disciples alive.

“Strange.”

“Why would the Sacred Master specifically target Sky Void Palace? And given his temperament, why take prisoners instead of slaughtering them outright?” Dongbo Xueying frowned inwardly.

Clearly, the battle that led to the Sevenstar Sea Sacred Realm’s destruction had little to do with the Ancestral Island or the Radiant Light Sacred Land—they were merely collateral damage.

“Was the attack on Sky Void Palace related to the Swordmaster… or to me?” Dongbo Xueying pondered.

When the Swordmaster had broken through before, the Sacred Master had come hunting.

“The Sacred Master went mad and destroyed an entire Sacred Realm?” As a Cosmic God himself, Dongbo Xueying knew how difficult it was to obliterate a Sacred Realm, especially with the Witch Ancestor and Realm Ancestor opposing him. Yet the Sacred Master had done it anyway—driven by sheer fury.

“And what of Jingqiu? Yu’er? Qingyao? And my fellow disciples in Sky Void Palace…” Dongbo Xueying burned to know the fate of his loved ones, but such personal details weren’t the kind of intelligence one could simply purchase.

For now, he had no intention of revealing his identity.

His return from the Heart Realm Continent had involved reincarnation. Though his truesoul remained the same, his soul’s aura had shifted. With the Nine Revolutions Indestructible Art, he could perfectly mask his presence, even disguising his aura at will.

Even the Sacred Master believed Dongbo Xueying was long dead.

Better to keep it that way—his enemy in the light, himself in the shadows.

Of course, some could be trusted—Ancestor Tianyu, the Void Primogenitor, and others. But given that he had truly perished, his truesoul reincarnating into the Heart Realm Continent via the Heart Realm Token, convincing the Cosmic Gods that he was indeed Dongbo Xueying wouldn’t be easy.

“For now, I’ll remain hidden. My current strength is still lacking—I haven’t even mastered the first layer of *Hunyuan Inquiry*.”

“First, I must ascertain Jingqiu’s whereabouts. I pray they are safe.” According to the intelligence, most of Sky Void Palace had been relocated to the Eastern Dragon Sacred Realm by the Swordmaster and Ancestor Tianyu. He could only hope his wife and children were among them.

With that, Dongbo Xueying silently departed the Eastern Dragon Hall branch.