Chapter 1149: Shadows Multiply

The Kingdom of Windheavens was an inconspicuous third-rate minor nation within the vast Heartcontinent.

“Black Monarch once visited this tavern,” Dongbo Xueying murmured as he stepped into an elegant private chamber within the establishment. His gaze swept across the room, triggering a temporal rewind. Yet, just as the vision neared the moment of Black Monarch’s presence, the flow of time twisted and distorted, rendering further observation impossible. “He was indeed here. The intelligence network of the Southcloud Sacred Sect wasn’t mistaken!”

Though not a master of temporal arts, the fact that his temporal rewind was obstructed suggested that the one responsible was at least a Cosmic God.

“Perhaps he’s still within this city?” Dongbo Xueying mused.

A faint ripple emanated from him, spreading outward through the countless dark mist sphere particles that constituted the fabric of the void. In moments, the ripple encompassed the entire city. This method of probing through the essence of the void was exceptionally covert.

“No Cosmic Gods are present in the city,” Dongbo Xueying frowned slightly. “Black Monarch left the Ancestral Ancient Nation and appeared in a distant minor kingdom on the opposite side of the Heartcontinent. Surely he wouldn’t traverse such a vast distance just for a meal? Most likely, his current whereabouts lie within the borders of Windheavens.”

“Let me inspect more carefully.”

The suppression of the Heartcontinent was immense, limiting the range of his void-based probing technique.

One by one, he employed the Boundary-Piercing Gaze to peer into different locations…

In less than half an hour—

“What is this?” Dongbo Xueying’s expression darkened.

Through his Boundary-Piercing Gaze, he observed a remote city within Windheavens, shrouded in a faint black mist. The haze was thin, casting a dull gray pallor over the entire city. Yet, the countless inhabitants within were behaving abnormally.

Some were engaged in frenzied slaughter.

Others flickered through the city in repeated teleportations, seemingly desperate to escape, yet unable to breach the confines of the mist.

Still others had formed groups, scouring the city for something unknown.

Every moment, countless citizens perished in the chaos—this place was a veritable nightmare.

“What’s happening? Why does it seem like they’ve all been influenced by some malevolent force? And why is the entire city trapped within some kind of formation, preventing them from leaving?” Dongbo Xueying was stunned. Since he was only peering through the Boundary-Piercing Gaze, he couldn’t fully comprehend the city’s predicament. But from the surface, one thing was certain: “Someone is orchestrating the suffering of these countless innocents!”

A murderous glint flashed in his eyes.

“If the citizens within the city are being tormented, they should have sent out distress signals. Why hasn’t the Kingdom of Windheavens reacted at all?” Dongbo Xueying seethed inwardly. “Is the enemy’s background too formidable?”

Windheavens was a third-rate minor nation.

Powerful demonic figures could easily intimidate its ruler, forcing him to seek aid from allies. Against truly formidable fiends, such a weak kingdom could only endure in silence.

“Damn it.”

But Dongbo Xueying refused to endure.

He *saw* the countless deaths—all for the sake of some hidden schemer’s sinister purpose.

“Let me check the other cities.” Though fury burned within him, he swiftly shifted his gaze to other settlements. Earlier, while searching for Black Monarch, he had meticulously inspected every major estate in each city. Now, he merely skimmed the general state of each, drastically speeding up the process.

Within mere breaths—

He had “scanned” every city in Windheavens. To his shock, *nineteen* cities exhibited the same phenomenon—trapped citizens, unable to leave. The weaker-willed had descended into madness and bloodlust, while the stronger struggled to survive within the confines of their prisons. Without intervention, this slow massacre could persist for millions, even billions, of years.

“Who dares to be so brazen?” Dongbo Xueying’s anger simmered.

With a thought—

He vanished, teleporting across vast distances to one of the black mist-shrouded cities.

“Hmm? I can’t teleport directly inside?” He was momentarily surprised. Observing the mist before him, he probed it briefly before flying forward.

Effortlessly, he passed through the mist and over the city walls.

“Now I can’t leave?” Attempting to exit, he found himself hindered, as though the city had become a self-contained world. “It resembles spatial confinement, though not as absolute—the Boundary-Piercing Gaze can still penetrate.”

This was merely an isolated pocket dimension.

An ordinary Chaos Realm expert would be trapped indefinitely.

“Even more bizarre—I can’t send messages?” Dongbo Xueying’s heart chilled. His communication treasures were useless here. Fortunately, his avatars and clones outside could still connect with the wider world.

But most Unity Realm cultivators on the Heartcontinent couldn’t maintain distant avatars.

Those with true clones? Even rarer.

“Without communication, very few within these cities can contact the outside world,” Dongbo Xueying realized. “Yet, regardless, with *nineteen* cities affected, the ruler of Windheavens must know of this.”

“Is this for some vile secret art?”

A sense of foreboding gripped him.

The ability to block communication was no ordinary Cosmic God’s work. And targeting *nineteen* cities at once?

Though Windheavens was weak, even minor nations were part of the *Heavenly Ancient Alliance*. A swift blood sacrifice might go unnoticed, but such a prolonged torment of nineteen cities? The ruler should have alerted the entire alliance, which wouldn’t have tolerated this lightly.

The Heavenly Ancient Alliance’s strength rivaled even the Southcloud Nation’s.

“Is the perpetrator’s background *that* formidable?” Dongbo Xueying mused.

Though he felt a hint of pressure—

Not even an invincible existence could make him retreat now.

“Let me see just who this great fiend is,” Dongbo Xueying’s eyes gleamed with cold light. Originally, he had come to Windheavens to hunt Black Monarch. Now, that matter was temporarily set aside.

His vendetta against Black Monarch was personal.

But this—this was the suffering of *countless* lives. He couldn’t stand idly by.

—

Within the city, Dongbo Xueying unleashed an imperceptible ripple, spreading through the void’s dark mist sphere particles to instantly survey the entire city. In a flash, he pinpointed the number of experts present.

Two—both at the Chaos Realm.

They resided within a single estate at the city’s heart.

“Here.”

With a single step, he appeared on a desolate street, facing the estate.

The surrounding mist was thin, and while distant clashes echoed, the area near the estate was eerily silent.

“Leave. Now.”

A figure flickered into existence beside him—a horned non-human cultivator. His voice was low and urgent. “This estate is the source of the black mist. The city’s experts have launched multiple assaults, suffering heavy casualties. We can’t overcome it. Don’t approach.”

“Oh?” Dongbo Xueying studied the horned cultivator, smiling faintly. “I entered the city to investigate this strange mist. How long has it been here?”

“You *chose* to enter?” The horned expert was stunned, then sighed bitterly. “We’re all desperate to escape, yet you walk into certain death? This mist has lingered for nearly ten million years. Most of the city’s inhabitants are already dead. We once hoped our ruler or the Heavenly Ancient Alliance’s Cosmic Gods would save us. But after all this time, no aid has come. Whoever dares to torment an entire city like this—slowly, methodically—must have an extraordinary background. Even Unity Realm experts here have succumbed to madness. You’ve made a grave mistake coming in.”

Dongbo Xueying nodded.

No one came to help?

“Let me see who dares to make even the Heavenly Ancient Alliance turn a blind eye,” he said coldly, striding toward the estate.

At the main gate, he kicked—

*Boom!*

The doors shattered, hurtling inward like a projectile, smashing through corridors, walls, and chambers. Yet, bizarrely, the doors remained intact, as though they would pierce through the entire estate.

Finally, a crimson light descended, intercepting the flying doors and reducing them to splinters.

From within the estate emerged a blood-robed figure, his gaze icy as it locked onto Dongbo Xueying.

“A Chaos Realm expert? Pity. Another fool seeking death.”