There will be plenty of opportunities next time?
Next time, will it be any different? Won’t I still have to fight and strive? Moreover, my homeland, the Origin World, is continuously expanding. If I don’t reach the ultimate realm of a Cosmic God before its destruction, I won’t be able to save my family and friends. I simply don’t have time to waste!
“Great Venerable Jufeng,” Dongbo Xueying’s eyes were sharp as he stared at the figure before him. “This opportunity to enter the Heart Palace of the Realm is something I must seize. I apologize, but I cannot assist you.”
“You—” Great Venerable Jufeng’s expression darkened.
“The path of cultivation does not allow for concessions,” Dongbo Xueying said calmly, his voice resolute.
I’ve already given you enough face! I have no intention of making an enemy of you, but if you insist on forcing my hand… bring whatever tricks you have. I’m not afraid!
At Dongbo Xueying’s level of strength, he already had the qualifications to stand his ground.
“No concessions? Fine.” Great Venerable Jufeng immediately stood up, said no more, and vanished with a single step.
Dongbo Xueying rose to his feet and watched silently.
—
**Xiafeng Capital.**
In a luxurious estate, Great Venerable Jufeng descended from the sky.
“Brother Jufeng, how did it go?” A green-robed man hurried forward to greet him, but his heart sank the moment he saw Jufeng’s expression.
“Brother Qianyang, that Ying Shan Xueying said something about ‘the path of cultivation not allowing concessions’ and refused outright,” Great Venerable Jufeng shook his head lightly. “Alas, even as your sworn brother, there was nothing I could do.”
The green-robed man quickly replied, “Brother Jufeng, I’m already deeply grateful that you spoke on my behalf. I was merely holding onto a sliver of hope—if Ying Shan Xueying wasn’t too desperate to enter, perhaps we could have struck a deal… But since he refuses, so be it. I’ll find another way.”
“How are your accumulated mission merits?” Great Venerable Jufeng asked.
“By exhausting all means and calling in favors from old friends, I’ve only gathered eight thousand mission merits,” the green-robed man sighed. “Unless I can surpass Ying Shan Xueying, my chances of ranking in the top four are slim.”
Great Venerable Jufeng frowned. “These treasure missions are truly difficult.”
He was determined to help his friend secure a spot.
His friend, ‘Emperor Qianyang,’ was one of the most outstanding young Cosmic Gods of the Xia Clan and a direct disciple of Emperor Xia! He was highly regarded by many Great Venerables.
However, as the foremost of the three great clans, the Xia Clan was teeming with experts. Within the clan, only two spots were allocated—one reserved for the Great Venerables, and the other contested among the remaining Cosmic Gods. Despite Emperor Qianyang’s brilliance, the competition was fierce, and he had failed to secure a spot internally. Thus, he had no choice but to vie for one of the four publicly contested spots.
Even Great Venerable Fuyi was participating in the external competition.
It couldn’t be helped—the Xia Clan had too many powerhouses, and there were even unspoken rules about factions taking turns.
“Eight thousand mission merits won’t be enough,” Great Venerable Jufeng pondered.
“I plan to visit the Ancestral Ancient Nation to see if I can gather more mission merits,” Emperor Qianyang said.
—
**A wooden hut.**
A broad-robed man sat cross-legged on a cushion—none other than Great Venerable Fuyi. He smiled as he regarded the figure before him. Opposite him sat a bald elder draped in a black robe adorned with dark crimson patterns, exuding a sinister, bloody aura.
“Fuyi, here is the ‘Golden Blue Serpent Fruit’ you requested,” the bald elder extended his hand, and a crystalline box materialized in his palm. It opened to reveal a peculiar fruit—its skin translucent, with golden and blue lights swirling inside, their dance carrying the profound essence of supreme laws.
The Golden Blue Serpent Fruit was among the rarest treasures listed in the missions, found only in the Broken Tooth Mountain Range. It could be exchanged for thirty thousand mission merits! If sold openly, it could easily fetch eighty billion cosmic crystals—though few would part with such a rarity. In all of the Heart Realm Continent, once one was used, it was gone forever.
“And what of my request?” the bald elder demanded, his gaze fixed on Fuyi.
“So, this fruit did fall into your hands, Namosa. You truly are cunning,” Great Venerable Fuyi chuckled.
“The items,” the bald elder said coldly.
With a wave of his hand, Fuyi summoned eighteen golden rings, hovering in the air.
The bald elder’s eyes burned with greed, but he dared not snatch them.
“They’re yours,” Fuyi said, sending the rings flying toward the elder, who eagerly seized them. His eyes reddened as he clutched them. “Finally, they’re mine!” Once, he had been mere steps away from obtaining this treasure, but Fuyi had swept in, claiming everything with overwhelming force.
Fuyi, in turn, retrieved the Golden Blue Serpent Fruit.
“You’re truly generous,” the bald elder remarked. “With your status, a single word to the Xia Clan would secure you an internal spot. Yet you choose to compete openly? And even gift this fruit to your clan?”
“Compete with juniors?” Fuyi laughed. “Enough, Namosa. You may leave.”
“Very well.”
The bald elder stood and exited the hut, where a young attendant guided him away.
Fuyi closed his eyes once more, a hazy orb floating above his head as he resumed his meditation.
With power came a different perspective.
To Fuyi, only the invincible beings posed any real threat. Even Cosmic Gods at the ultimate realm without supreme treasures barely warranted his concern. Thus, he saw no need to stoop to competing with his own clan’s Cosmic Gods.
“Great Venerable, we’ve already gathered over ten thousand mission merits. Why bother with this Golden Blue Serpent Fruit? The treasure missions are hardly worth it—the clan offers so little in return,” the young attendant outside remarked. A special puppet creature, he was utterly loyal to Fuyi and his strongest subordinate, acquired by chance over countless eons.
“Even if I received no merits at all, gifting it to the clan would be trivial,” Fuyi replied. “After all, it is our family.”
—
**Time passed.**
In the Xiafeng Ancient Nation’s open competition for spots, only a select few remained composed. The rest fought tooth and nail—even the Flame Devil Sovereign spared no effort.
Before long, over eighty thousand years had elapsed.
Then, news broke!
The First Great Demon of the Black Fiend Abyss under the three great cult leaders—’Demon Monarch Yuan Yi’—had fallen to the Flame Devil Sovereign! Yuan Yi was formidable, the beloved eldest disciple of the Abyss Fiend Cult’s Yama Fiend Leader. Calling himself ‘Yuan Yi,’ his name bore an eerie resemblance to the mysterious, transcendent ‘Yuan’ of the Heart Realm Continent, hinting at his ambition.
The mission to eliminate him was worth twenty thousand merits—far surpassing the reward for Dongbo Xueying’s capture of his target.
“Impressive.”
Dongbo Xueying reviewed the intelligence report from the Southcloud Sacred Sect, detailing Yuan Yi’s demise. “What a Flame Devil Sovereign… and what a pitiful Yuan Yi. He truly underestimated him.”
According to the report, Yuan Yi had not feared the Flame Devil Sovereign, even viewing their encounter as a trial to temper himself. He had every reason for such confidence—he was capable of facing many sovereign-level experts head-on.
But the Flame Devil Sovereign’s strength far exceeded what the outside world had known.
In an instant, Yuan Yi was grievously wounded, then devoured whole! Once inside the Flame Devil Sovereign’s belly, escape was impossible. Soon after, he perished.
The Yama Fiend Leader was enraged!
His most prized disciple had been slain. A cataclysmic battle erupted—the Yama Fiend Leader against the Flame Devil Sovereign, with the other two cult leaders joining the fray.
The battle raged fiercely. Within the Black Fiend Abyss’s unique environment, the Flame Devil Sovereign was temporarily trapped, locked in a desperate struggle against the three cult leaders.
“The Flame Devil Sovereign refuses to ask for help. If he did, one or two sovereign-level allies from Xiafeng could easily rescue him,” Dongbo Xueying mused. “With this, he’s secured at least twenty thousand merits.”
The competition for spots had just become far more perilous for him.
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