Dongbo Qingyao and her younger brother were reunited with their parents, bringing the family together once more. The gathered Cosmic Gods were also in high spirits, delighted to have gained another formidable ally! After all, Dongbo Xueying had dared to infiltrate the Ancient Sacred World to rescue others. Though his combat prowess was considered the lowest among second-tier Cosmic Gods—only on par with Lord Luo—and still fell short of figures like the Ancestor of Demon Mountain or the Lord of Yaoguang, he stood at the absolute pinnacle in areas such as stealth, assassination, survival, and soul techniques. The Cosmic Gods felt increasingly confident in facing the Sacred Master.
“It’s best to keep Xueying’s ascension to Cosmic God a secret for now,” the Witch Ancestor said with a smile. “Otherwise, if the Sacred Master learns that someone who was supposedly annihilated has reappeared, he might deduce too much.”
“Secrecy is wise.”
Everyone agreed. After all, Dongbo Xueying was connected to another source world, the Heart Realm Continent. If the Sacred Master found out, his greed and madness would only intensify.
Dongbo Xueying also concurred—keeping it quiet would spare him many troubles.
…
In the vast expanse of the Chaos Void, amidst a boundless sea of flames, floated an enormous fiery star—the Primordial Sun.
“Master, Master!”
The avatar of the Realm Ancestor stood at a safe distance in the void, knowing full well that approaching any closer would reduce his projection to ashes.
“Master!” The Realm Ancestor’s avatar sent repeated transmissions into the star.
“Who dares disturb me?”
The Primordial Sun was colossal, but now an immense shadow emerged from its surface, covering roughly a third of its expanse. The shadow’s dark yellow eyes opened with displeasure, fixing on the small figure of the Realm Ancestor’s avatar in the distance.
“It’s you, little devil?” the shadow rumbled, its voice thick with irritation. “Speak. What is it?”
He despised being awakened from slumber. As for his disciples? The Stone Elder had some affection for them, but it was shallow. He knew that when an era ended and the Chaos Void underwent its great destruction, all his disciples would perish. Though he had always hoped one might reach the ultimate realm of Cosmic God, none ever had—not across the many eras he had endured.
“Master,” the Realm Ancestor’s avatar said, aware of his master’s displeasure at being disturbed. But this news was worth it. “Dongbo Xueying isn’t dead. He’s alive.”
“Dongbo Xueying…” The Stone Elder, still groggy from sleep, blinked in surprise.
In an instant, the massive shadow transformed into a hunched, skeletal old man, even thinner than the Realm Ancestor. Leaning on a cane, the Stone Elder pressed, “You say that boy survived? But I scoured the Chaos Void and found no trace of his true spirit left. Unless… he obtained a Heart Realm Token and went to the Heart Realm Continent?”
“You knew about that, Master?” The Realm Ancestor was stunned but quickly nodded. “Yes, Dongbo Xueying said he used the token to reincarnate there.”
“Ha ha ha!”
The Stone Elder’s laughter boomed like thunder, shaking the sea of flames surrounding the Primordial Sun.
“To think he stumbled upon such fortune. Where is he now?” The Stone Elder had no intention of scanning the Chaos Void again. Besides, he guessed that Xueying’s soul aura would have changed after reincarnation.
“In the Blade Emperor’s City,” the Realm Ancestor replied.
“Let’s pay him a visit.” The Stone Elder was in good spirits. After all, his injuries had been sustained because of Dongbo Xueying. Now that the boy was alive, he marveled at the twists of fate.
With a single step, the Stone Elder vanished.
…
He reappeared in Blade Emperor’s City, a place far smaller in scope, allowing him to instantly locate the gathering of Cosmic Gods.
Above the lake in Canghu Palace, a figure materialized—none other than the Stone Elder.
“What?!” The Blade Emperor, the Witch Ancestor, the Realm Ancestor, the Sword Lord, the Lord of Yaoguang, the Ancestor of Demon Mountain, Dongbo Xueying, and the others were shocked. This was the Blade Emperor’s residence, heavily guarded and impervious to teleportation. Even the Sacred Master shouldn’t have been able to appear so abruptly.
“Ha! Even the Ancient Sacred World is mine to enter and leave as I please,” the Stone Elder declared, striding forward with his cane.
The Witch Ancestor and the Blade Emperor felt an overwhelming pressure.
“Senior Stone,” Dongbo Xueying greeted in surprise. He had met the Stone Elder before, but back then, he had only been at the Chaos Realm and couldn’t gauge the elder’s true strength.
“Everyone, relax. This is my master,” the Realm Ancestor said, rising with a smile in his green robe.
“Your master?!”
The others were both stunned and enlightened.
“Xueying, you know him?” the Heavenly Fool Patriarch transmitted privately. The Sword Lord, the Witch Ancestor, and the Blade Emperor remained tense, sensing the Stone Elder’s terrifying aura.
Dongbo Xueying nodded.
The Stone Elder studied Xueying and gave a slight nod. Since the other Cosmic Gods had already verified his identity, and the address of “Senior Stone” further confirmed it, there was no doubt—this was indeed Dongbo Xueying.
“Pity, pity,” the Stone Elder sighed. “I had intended to take you as my disciple, but you went to the Heart Realm Continent first. I’m not skilled in the illusory arts of the Void Realm, so at best, I could have only offered you some guidance. The teachings you received there far surpass anything I could provide. It seems fate has denied us a master-disciple bond.”
“He wanted to take me as his disciple?” Dongbo Xueying was taken aback.
The Realm Ancestor explained, “Brother Dongbo, the Vermilion Nightmare Inheritance was originally created by my master. When you developed the Tenth Transformation, he wished to take you under his wing. But then the incident occurred, and you left for the Heart Realm Continent.”
“Master,” the Realm Ancestor added, “you may not know this, but though Dongbo hasn’t been in the Heart Realm Continent for long, his strength has grown immensely. This time, he infiltrated the Ancient Sacred World—”
He summarized the events briefly.
“Honestly, I got lucky,” Dongbo Xueying interjected modestly. “I prepared carefully, but the legendary Sacred Master’s avatar never appeared, so it went smoothly.”
“The Sacred Master’s avatar?” The Stone Elder chuckled darkly. “When I heard you’d died, and my chosen disciple was gone, I couldn’t let that demon brat off lightly. So I stormed into the Ancient Sacred World and fought him fiercely! Without using his avatar, he was no match for me. He had no choice but to go all out. We clashed, and though I was injured, he exhausted all the power stored in his avatar. Later, I learned that your capture by the Sacred Master was tied to that Red-Browed Mountain Lord. So I crushed that treacherous little worm.”
Dongbo Xueying had been nodding along, but at the last part, he froze. “The Red-Browed Mountain Lord is dead?”
He had been planning to exact revenge himself. But even now, he had no way to locate the Mountain Lord’s other avatars.
“My path differs from the Sacred Master’s. I reached the ultimate realm of Cosmic God through body refinement, seeking to break through the source world and ascend to a higher plane,” the Stone Elder said. “I rely on myself, so my methods are unique. In the Chaos Void, I exist everywhere and can perceive everything. That Red-Browed Mountain Lord thought his avatars could hide, but nowhere in this source world is beyond my reach!”
The Witch Ancestor, the Blade Emperor, and the others were awed.
This was a true elder—one who had reached the ultimate realm of Cosmic God and was striving for an even higher level, wielding powers beyond their comprehension.
“That demon brat, the Sacred Master, is obsessed with mastering the Supreme Rules,” the Stone Elder continued. “But in this era, he has no hope.”
“Demon brat? Master, you knew he was a Destruction Demon?” the Realm Ancestor asked.
“He revealed his true form this time?” The Stone Elder nodded. “Destruction Demons are born of the Chaos Void, destined to destroy. Only by transcending to Cosmic God can they escape their destructive urges. He is the most exceptional of them all, reaching the ultimate realm as a Destruction Demon. At this stage, he naturally craves that final step—to command the Supreme Rules.”
“For him, the early stages of an era, when fewer strong beings exist, offer some hope. But as time passes, more Cosmic Gods emerge, all opposing him. The longer he waits, the more enemies he faces, and the slimmer his chances become,” the Stone Elder explained. “After our battle, with his avatar’s reserves depleted, his prospects in this era are bleak. He likely knows it himself.”
“Thanks to you, Senior, we’ve been spared greater conflict,” the Witch Ancestor said gratefully.
“Ha! He and I share this source world,” the Stone Elder laughed. “If I ascend, I intend to govern it. His path is different, but his goal is the same. If he succeeded, given his nature, I’d be finished. So at every critical juncture, I’ve intervened. Even the shattering of the Primordial Ancient Sacred World had my hand behind it.”
“Is that so?”
The Cosmic Gods were stunned. Two beings at the ultimate realm, each striving for transcendence, unwilling to let the other succeed.
“Rest easy. That demon brat won’t cause much trouble now. With your numbers growing and his avatar’s power spent, he might stir a little before the Great Destruction, but I suspect he’s already plotting for the next era,” the Stone Elder mused. “Today’s chat with you youngsters has been pleasant, but I’ll return to my slumber. I may wake again when the Great Destruction comes.”
“Focus on your cultivation. Your greatest enemy isn’t the Sacred Master—it’s yourselves,” the Stone Elder warned.
“This Chaos Void is like a sinking ship. Don’t assume the end is distant. The later it gets, the faster the void expands, the more Destruction Demons are born, and the sooner the Great Destruction arrives—likely much sooner than you expect,” he said gravely. “Train hard. If you’re not strong enough when the ship goes down, you’ll perish with it. I’ve seen it before—an era’s end, all life extinguished.”
A chill ran through them all.
The Great Destruction…
“Senior, how long do we have before the Great Destruction?” the Witch Ancestor asked.
Dongbo Xueying and the others tensed, their eyes fixed on the Stone Elder. None had more experience in this than he.
“Hmm.”
The Stone Elder pondered, his consciousness rippling outward to sweep across the entire Chaos Void.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage