Outside the main gate of the Heart God Palace, the group of cultivators who had been forcibly teleported out soon received a piece of news that left them utterly astonished.
The Summer Monarch and the Eternal Night Ancestor had engaged in a fierce battle within the Heart God Palace. The clash was so intense that the Eternal Night Ancestor fought while retreating, triggering numerous forbidden traps along the way. In the end, the Eternal Night Ancestor managed to escape by exploiting the unique environment of the Heart God Palace, though not without sustaining severe injuries.
Several powerful figures within the Heart God Palace witnessed this battle.
The cause of this conflict? The tragic demise of the Flying Snow Divine Emperor of the Southcloud Nation at the hands of the Eternal Night Ancestor, who seized his treasures. Regardless, the Flying Snow Divine Emperor was a member of the Summerwind Ancient Nation’s faction. For the Eternal Night Ancestor to bully a junior in such a manner, the Summer Monarch had no choice but to intervene—lest the hearts of their allies grow cold.
“What a battle! Rare indeed to see invincible existences clash like this.”
“Poor Flying Snow Divine Emperor. He paid a great price just to enter the Heart God Palace, and his luck there was remarkable. He must have obtained a supreme treasure after spending hundreds of millions of years, elevating him to the level of a Sovereign. After passing the Twelve Calamities, he even acquired a treasure like the ‘Source of the Domain Sea.’ Alas, before the Eternal Night Ancestor, not only were all these treasures lost, but even the weapons and illusory realm treasures he carried were taken. His losses are devastating.”
“Indeed. Losing so many treasures—if it were me, I’d be heartbroken.”
“At least he has multiple avatars. His life is still intact.”
“What good is his life? He was once a Sovereign-level expert. Now, without his supreme treasure, he’s merely an ordinary second-tier Cosmic God. And without his illusory realm treasures, he’s even weaker than before.”
Among the many Cosmic Gods gathered outside the main gate, most had gained little within the Heart God Palace. Seeing Ying Shan Xueying suffer such a fate, some couldn’t help but gloat. After all, the relationships between the Six Ancient Nations on the Heart Realm Continent were far from friendly, and conflicts were common. Watching a rival faction’s member fall into misfortune was a source of amusement.
“What a pity,” sighed the Flame Demon Sovereign, a member of the Summerwind Ancient Nation’s faction. Though he had once envied Dongbo Xueying, he now pitied him. “Hmph, the Eternal Night Ancestor, an invincible existence, stooping to bully a junior? How shameless.”
“After suffering such a devastating loss, who knows how long it will take for the Flying Snow Divine Emperor to recover?”
—
Though there had been cases of cultivators perishing within the Heart God Palace in history, they were always the result of infighting.
In truth, the Heart God Palace was vast, and cultivators usually traveled together only if they were on good terms. For two to coincidentally enter the same region, turn on each other, and succeed in killing one another was exceedingly rare. Since the opening of the Heart God Palace this time, Dongbo Xueying was the only one to be slain. First came the rumors of him reaching Sovereign-level strength, followed swiftly by news of his demise at the hands of the Eternal Night Ancestor, who stripped him of all his treasures. This left Cosmic Gods across the Heart Realm Continent sighing in lament upon hearing the news.
“To rise so swiftly, only to fall just as quickly—fate is truly unpredictable.”
“Poor Flying Snow Divine Emperor.”
Wherever Cosmic Gods gathered on the Heart Realm Continent, Dongbo Xueying’s name was inevitably mentioned, accompanied by sighs of sympathy.
Most pitied him. After all, for those outside the Six Ancient Nations, obtaining a supreme treasure and ascending to Sovereign-level was an arduous feat. The Flying Snow Divine Emperor had barely risen before being crushed by the Eternal Night Ancestor on the very same day. At least he still had avatars outside—had he truly perished completely, it would have been even more tragic.
—
Southcloud Nation, Flying Snow City.
The Divine Emperor’s Estate.
Beneath a lakeside pavilion, Dongbo Xueying sat alone, brewing wine and lost in contemplation. The Eternal Night Ancestor’s final strike with the scepter—an infinite radiance that left no room for evasion—had instilled a deep tremor in his heart. That was the true power of an existence beyond the Cosmic God level.
By wielding a supreme treasure, the Eternal Night Ancestor had unleashed that devastating blow, annihilating all nine of Dongbo Xueying’s avatars and stripping him of his treasures.
“Though the losses are great, I’ve obtained the *Hunyuan Seven Strikes*—this alone makes it worth it,” Dongbo Xueying mused calmly.
Though anger simmered within him, facing the Eternal Night Ancestor, he could only set it aside for now. The true path forward lay in cultivation and self-improvement. Moreover, the impending destruction of his home, the Chaos Void, spurred him onward—he had to reach the ultimate realm of Cosmic God as soon as possible.
“Xueying.”
A figure appeared in the sky—the slender, black-robed Southcloud Monarch.
“Master.” Dongbo Xueying rose to his feet.
The Southcloud Monarch descended and seated himself opposite Dongbo Xueying, pouring himself a cup of wine. With a smile, he said, “I was worried this might have dealt you a heavy blow. Seeing you now, I’m relieved. Your mental fortitude is commendable—to remain so composed after such a setback.”
Dongbo Xueying smiled faintly.
Had things truly been as the outside world speculated—had he obtained a supreme treasure and the Source of the Domain Sea, only to be slain and stripped of everything, losing even his Emperor’s Robe, Crimson Cloud Spear, and Five-Phase Pearls—the blow would indeed have been staggering. Enough to drive even a second-tier Cosmic God to the brink of madness.
But in truth, he had never obtained a supreme treasure. His combat prowess had stemmed from the *Hunyuan Seven Strikes*, the refined Crimson Cloud Combat Art, and his nine avatars. As for the lost treasures? They no longer significantly enhanced his strength. To him, they were merely valuable possessions. What he had gained—the *Hunyuan Seven Strikes*, coveted even by invincible existences—was far more precious.
“What’s done is done. Dwelling on it is pointless. My strength simply wasn’t enough,” Dongbo Xueying said.
“You’ve received many messages, I presume?” the Southcloud Monarch asked with a smile.
“Yes,” Dongbo Xueying nodded. “Many offering sympathy, others inviting me to banquets. Though they all express pity, I suspect some secretly revel in my misfortune.”
The Southcloud Monarch was further impressed. His disciple spoke of this with such detachment—had he truly let it go so easily?
“What are your plans now?” the Southcloud Monarch inquired.
“What else can I do? Focus on cultivation, of course. Charging at the Eternal Night Ancestor in a fit of rage would be suicide,” Dongbo Xueying replied with a carefree laugh.
—
True to his word, in the days that followed, Dongbo Xueying remained secluded, cultivating in utmost secrecy. He even dispatched an avatar to the Fan Clan.
“Brother Flying Snow,” the Tearing Heaven Great Sovereign greeted him. “I’ve heard of your plight. For the Eternal Night Ancestor, an invincible existence, to attack and rob you within the Heart God Palace—utterly shameless. Alas, even our Summerwind Ancient Nation can do little about it.”
“I understand,” Dongbo Xueying nodded.
The enmity between the two ancient nations ran deep. His incident was but a trivial drop in the ocean.
“Tearing Heaven Great Sovereign, I’ve come to request cultivation beneath the Blazing Heart Divine Tree,” Dongbo Xueying said. “I assume I can exchange merits for this privilege?”
“Oh?” The Tearing Heaven Great Sovereign smiled. “Of course. Ten thousand great merits grant you a hundred million years of cultivation.”
The Blazing Heart Divine Tree stood there, unmoving.
Twenty billion years would require a staggering two hundred thousand great merits—enough to exchange for a supreme treasure. The price was exorbitant.
“I shall begin my cultivation,” Dongbo Xueying said simply, rising to his feet.
“Come, come.” The Tearing Heaven Great Sovereign personally escorted him. With forty thousand great merits remaining, if Dongbo Xueying wished to exchange for treasures, the Fan Clan would have to part with resources. But cultivation beneath the Blazing Heart Divine Tree? It cost nothing—merely time. A few hundred million years were but a trifle.
And so…
Beneath the towering, deep-purple jade-like Blazing Heart Divine Tree, its vast canopy casting a serene shade, a white-robed youth sat cross-legged in meditation.
—
Time flowed silently.
In his home, the Chaos Void, and across the Heart Realm Continent, all of Dongbo Xueying’s avatars cultivated in tranquility, their strength growing steadily with the passage of time.
(End of Chapter)
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