Among the ranks of Venerable Masters, though their strengths may seem comparable, there are still distinctions between the higher and lower tiers.
The highest tier consists of those whom even invincible beings cannot slay. For instance, the Lord of Nanyun, Great Venerable Fuyi, Great Venerable Shatterheaven, and the Great Cult Master of the Black Devil Marsh, the “Yanmo Cult Master,” are among them. Only such figures can truly be called peerless overlords of the Heart Realm Continent! Even invincible beings dare not underestimate them. Why do they dare to dominate entire regions, or why do some fiends of the Black Devil Marsh dare to wreak havoc within the borders of the Xiafeng Ancient Kingdom? It is because they have the Yanmo Cult Master as their backing.
At this level, one can openly defy invincible beings! Take the Nanyun Sacred Sect, one of the Ten Great Sects, which amasses vast amounts of Cosmic Crystals. Their wealth has even aroused the envy of invincible beings, some of whom have attempted to act against the Lord of Nanyun. Yet, through direct combat, the Lord of Nanyun has proven his unshakable might!
The next tier, though comparable in strength, still cannot guarantee survival against invincible beings. This is the plight faced by the vast majority of Venerable Masters.
There is no way around it.
‘Peak-level secret treasures’ only enhance certain aspects. For example, a domain-type secret treasure might elevate one’s domain prowess to the third level of a Cosmic God, but a second-level Cosmic God who excels only in domain control would still perish against an invincible being.
In terms of numbers, the Fan Clan boasts six Venerable Masters, the Xia Clan nine, and the Cang Clan has recently broken through to seven! Yet, those who can claim to be unkillable by invincible beings are few and far between even within the Xiafeng Ancient Kingdom.
Across the entire Heart Realm Continent, such peerless overlords are exceedingly rare.
“Great Venerable Fuyi is among the top two of the Xia Clan’s nine Great Venerables,” Dongbo Xueying mused. “If he demanded a spot, it wouldn’t be difficult. Yet he’s competing? Given his status, even for the sake of face, the Xia Clan would surely secure him a spot.”
“Xueying, have you chosen your mission?” the Lord of Nanyun inquired.
“I have.”
Dongbo Xueying waved his hand, and a scroll unfurled on the table, revealing rows of missions, each corresponding to a certain number of ‘Great Merits.’
Dozens of missions filled the scroll.
Among them, fifty were assassination tasks.
Twelve targeted Venerable Masters, with rewards ranging from ‘30,000 to 80,000 Great Merits.’
The remaining thirty-eight targeted second-level Cosmic Gods, with rewards from ‘3,000 to 30,000 Great Merits.’
Next were the ‘Treasure Quests.’
Various rare treasures could be exchanged directly for merits.
For example, the highest-ranked ‘Severed Fang Serpent Pearl’—a single pearl could be exchanged for 200,000 Great Merits!
“A Severed Fang Serpent Pearl? I imagine all Six Great Ancient Kingdoms would covet it. Offering one would surely make any of them willing to pay a hefty price and even grant a spot,” Dongbo Xueying silently marveled.
The Severed Fang Serpent Pearl originated from the ‘Severed Fang Mountain Range.’
…
The Heart Realm Continent’s foremost treasure ground is the Heart Realm Divine Palace.
Its most perilous land, however, is the Severed Fang Mountain Range. From high above, one can see its tallest peak—a broken fang, towering and majestic, lending its name to the entire range. The Severed Fang Mountain Range spans an unimaginably vast territory, roughly equivalent to three Xiafeng Ancient Kingdoms combined. Within its depths lurk countless dangers, and legend speaks of two invincible beings who perished there.
Yet, many Ultimate Cosmic Gods and invincible beings still venture inside to explore.
The most famed treasure of the Severed Fang Mountain Range is the ‘Severed Fang Serpent Pearl.’ Whoever obtains one instantly becomes an honored guest of any of the Six Great Ancient Kingdoms, able to exchange it for immense benefits.
Thus, countless cultivators brave the dangers of the range, as do fugitives fleeing pursuit.
Most perish within.
A rare few survive… and an even rarer handful emerge with treasures.
“My chosen target is a fiend from the Fuxi Kingdom,” Dongbo Xueying transmitted.
“Fuxi Kingdom? Be careful.”
“Don’t worry, Master.”
Dongbo Xueying turned his gaze back to the unfurled scroll.
Among the fifty assassination targets listed, five were from the Fuxi Kingdom.
The Fuxi Kingdom, though nominally a nation, was in truth a gathering place for fiends. While its environment wasn’t as harsh as the Black Devil Marsh, the number of fiends there was no less.
The strongest and highest-ranking figure was the Fuxi Kingdom’s ruler, though he preferred the title ‘Ancestor Fuxi.’ Ancestor Fuxi was a peerless overlord who frequently clashed openly with the Myriad Realms Ancient Kingdom. Arrogant to the extreme, he even occasionally dispatched subordinates to wreak havoc in the other Five Great Ancient Kingdoms.
Ancestor Fuxi—hunted by all Six Great Ancient Kingdoms. Yet, he remained unkillable!
The Myriad Realms Ancient Kingdom, being closest to Fuxi, had sent experts multiple times to slaughter his forces, leaving countless dead. Yet, Ancestor Fuxi cared not. He was much like the Gou Xue Kingdom’s ruler.
The Gou Xue Kingdom’s ruler, however, was not a fiend—merely too unruly in temperament.
The Fuxi Kingdom, on the other hand, teemed with fiends.
For this mission, the Xiafeng Ancient Kingdom had designated five of Fuxi’s high-ranking figures for elimination—though not Ancestor Fuxi himself, as even invincible beings could not kill him.
One was Fuxi’s second-strongest figure, the Venerable Master ‘Severing Heaven Venerable Master.’
The other four were the ‘Four Fiends of Fuxi.’
“Severing Heaven Venerable Master? I wouldn’t dare target him. The Four Fiends of Fuxi are closer to my level. With the Heart Realm Divine Palace opening, the fiends of Fuxi must know they’re being hunted and will be cautious. This is their stronghold—if they sense danger, they’ll summon Ancestor Fuxi or Severing Heaven Venerable Master for aid. Killing them will be incredibly difficult,” Dongbo Xueying understood this well.
“Given my strength, only ‘Windmoon Demon Monarch’ is someone I can counter and eliminate instantly. Once he’s dead, I’ll flee immediately.” With his perfected intangibility, Dongbo Xueying was confident in his escape.
“Windmoon Demon Monarch!”
Dongbo Xueying stared at the name on the scroll and the bounty of ‘11,000 Great Merits,’ his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Based on past experience, 10,000 Great Merits was usually enough to secure a spot. After all, every target was extraordinary, and eliminating them was no easy feat.
“Let’s go.”
Dongbo Xueying rolled up the scroll and rose to his feet.
…
Having altered his appearance and concealed his aura with perfected intangibility, he easily disguised himself as an ordinary Unity-level cultivator. A white-robed youth of this level would draw no attention in the Fuxi Kingdom—neither a major threat nor an easy target for bullying.
“Windmoon Demon Monarch.”
Dongbo Xueying searched.
With Ancestor Fuxi shielding his whereabouts, tracking arts proved ineffective, and the Nanyun Sacred Sect’s intelligence network had yet to locate him. It seemed the Demon Monarch had gone into hiding since the Heart Realm Divine Palace’s opening.
Night fell.
“Where could he be?”
Having scoured the Demon Monarch’s estate inside and out with perfected intangibility, Dongbo Xueying was puzzled.
“Windmoon Demon Monarch is infamous for his lust for women—each one he takes is tortured to death…” Dongbo Xueying recalled the detailed intelligence on the Demon Monarch, trying to deduce his possible hiding place.
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