Above a vast and luxurious mansion, a figure clad in black appeared—Dongbo Xueying. With a thunderous roar, he hurled a fist downward toward the estate.
Where the fist struck, ripples of force instantly swept outward, pulverizing everything in their path. Even the sturdy halls shattered from within, their protective formations collapsing as the structures crumbled. Inside, two Chaos Realm guardians stood frozen in terror before their bodies silently disintegrated into dust. First, the Black Monarch was too indifferent to even send a warning to his subordinates. Second, Dongbo Xueying showed no mercy—while he treated innocent lives with kindness and equality, he spared no pity for these demonic fiends.
“Whoosh.”
In a flash, he descended from the sky into the ruined hall and seized the same grotesque, twisted tree. Clearly, the source of the calamity plaguing each city was this mysterious tree and the black crystal embedded within it.
As he uprooted the tree and casually stored it away, the faint black mist that had permeated the city began to dissipate. This sudden change stunned the city’s elite warriors, who had teleported nearby upon sensing the battle’s disturbance.
“The mist is fading!”
“This… this…”
“Did destroying that cursed mansion cause this? Who is that black-clad youth?” Many experts watched cautiously from a distance. Like the other two cities Dongbo Xueying had saved, they had endured nearly a million years of suffering, knowing the mansion was the root of their torment—yet powerless to act. But today, everything had changed.
Suddenly—
Dongbo Xueying looked up. A figure materialized above him—a cold-faced man in resplendent black robes, a curved blade at his waist. It was none other than the Black Monarch himself.
This time, the Black Monarch made no effort to conceal his appearance. He knew that once he unleashed his full power, his supreme treasure weapons and combat techniques would reveal his identity anyway. So he chose to reveal himself openly.
“Is that…?”
“The Black Monarch of the Ancestral Ancient Nation?”
“Yes, he matches the legends.” Many well-informed experts in the city had studied the appearances of renowned figures across the Heart Realm Continent. With the Black Monarch openly displaying his true form, these Unity Realm warriors recognized him immediately.
The Black Monarch glared down at Dongbo Xueying, his voice booming across the heavens. “Who are you? Are you the one behind the destruction plaguing these cities?”
Dongbo Xueying was taken aback.
*The thief cries “Stop thief”?*
“Lord Black Monarch,” a Unity Realm expert called out boldly, “this black-robed senior destroyed the cursed mansion—he saved our city!”
“Saved?” The Black Monarch sneered, surveying the ruins of the estate. “To unleash such power in a single strike, you must at least be a Cosmic God. And I know every Cosmic God in the Heart Realm Continent! Hiding your identity—what shameful secret are you concealing? Or is this some sinister scheme?”
“Sinister scheme?” Dongbo Xueying chuckled darkly.
“Perhaps you’re the one who cast the curse upon this city, and now that your ritual is complete, you pretend to be its savior? No matter. Once I capture you and reveal your true face, we’ll see how you explain yourself!” The Black Monarch’s righteous fury blazed as he drew his curved blade.
*Whoosh—*
A blade of darkness descended from the heavens like an expanding shroud of night, enveloping Dongbo Xueying.
Standing firm, Dongbo Xueying calmly raised his hands and gently clapped toward the terrifying dark blade-light.
*Hum.*
Countless layers of space unfolded before his palms. The dark blade-light tore through them relentlessly, its power diminishing with each shattered layer. By the time it reached him, only a fraction of its force remained, striking Dongbo Xueying and sending him flying backward. He carved a trench thousands of miles long before coming to a stop.
“To possess the strength of a Paramount realm—which Venerable are you? There are only so many Paramount experts in the Heart Realm. Why hide?” The Black Monarch scoffed, launching another flurry of blade-lights.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Blade after blade—some overwhelmingly domineering, others sneaking through the shadows—engulfed Dongbo Xueying in absolute darkness, leaving no trace of light.
“*Restrain.*” Dongbo Xueying pressed his palms together before his chest. A single point of light erupted, expanding into a radiant shield around him.
The dark blade-lights assailed him—fierce, deceitful, insidious—yet the shield held firm for half a breath.
“An impressive Void Path expert. Quite resilient, aren’t you? Among the Paramount Void Path masters in the Heart Realm, your style resembles the ‘Great Void Venerable’ of the Motian Ancient Nation. But surely Motian wouldn’t dare interfere in this matter.” The Black Monarch mused aloud as he attacked.
Half a breath later, the shield shattered. Instantly, the Black Monarch melded into the darkness and reappeared beside Dongbo Xueying, launching a close-quarters assault.
*Sssshhk! Sssshhk!*
Cold, sinister blade-lights slashed wildly.
Dongbo Xueying’s palms danced effortlessly, each motion conjuring layers of space between them. Though the battle was at point-blank range, every strike from the Black Monarch seemed to come from a vast distance, forced to pierce through countless spatial barriers before reaching him—greatly weakened by the journey.
*Ting.*
Suddenly, Dongbo Xueying—who had been purely defensive—extended a single finger, tapping the void.
An invisible ripple bypassed all obstacles, piercing straight into the Black Monarch’s body.
The Black Monarch shuddered slightly, his expression darkening. “How underhanded.”
Dongbo Xueying remained silent, continuing the battle while inwardly noting, *He resists bodily infiltration attacks too easily. First plan—abandoned.*
His killing move had only one chance.
If the Black Monarch sensed mortal danger, he would flee—and if he had a more powerful backer, he’d surely call for aid.
Thus, before striking, Dongbo Xueying needed to probe his limits thoroughly. External intelligence was unreliable—who knew what life-saving trump cards a Paramount expert might hold?
“Persistent, aren’t you? Fine—if ordinary methods won’t reveal your identity…” The Black Monarch’s eyes narrowed.
*Sssshhk!*
A blade of pure darkness annihilated the spatial layers Dongbo Xueying had conjured, slashing across his abdomen. The impact sent him hurtling into the sky, blood gushing from both his wound and mouth.
“Black Monarch… you’ve hidden your power well,” Dongbo Xueying rasped as he flew backward.
“Ha! Still hiding? Let’s see who you really are!” The Black Monarch roared, entering a frenzy.
Dongbo Xueying was genuinely surprised.
During the Twelve Calamity Passes, he had witnessed the Black Monarch’s strength firsthand. Yet this latest strike far exceeded his expectations.
Of course, the grievous wound and blood were all part of his act—he had deliberately torn his own flesh to mislead his foe. His true physical resilience was monstrous; even a casual strike from the imprisoned Primordial Lifeform ‘Myriad-Tentacled Dragon Scion’ within the Fire Prison Triworld Cauldron had only wounded him slightly. Compared to that abomination, the Black Monarch was insignificant.
Had Dongbo Xueying not held back, the Black Monarch’s attacks wouldn’t have even scratched him.
But that would have frightened his prey—ruining his plan.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
As the “badly injured” Dongbo Xueying spat blood, multiple black-clad duplicates materialized around him.
“Ha! Void Path experts and their clones. Finally revealing your nine avatars?” The Black Monarch wasn’t fazed. He charged—then split into eighteen shadowy figures.
“Eighteen Shadow Doppelgängers?” Dongbo Xueying’s eyes widened.
The Black Monarch’s power…
Had grown significantly since the Heart Palace incident.
Both in doppelgänger numbers and attack potency.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
The eighteen Black Monarchs swarmed him. Though only one was real—shifting unpredictably between shadows—their assault was relentless and treacherous.
Despite his nine avatars, Dongbo Xueying took repeated hits, though he fought back fiercely. With nine bodies, he occasionally landed blows on the true Black Monarch.
*Rip.*
A slash tore open the Black Monarch’s flesh, revealing pitch-black bones shrouded in dark light.
“*Great Severing Art* won’t work either. Discarded.” Dongbo Xueying’s mind raced. “*Only the second plan remains.*”
After testing the Black Monarch’s defenses with weaker techniques, he confirmed his foe’s body was flawlessly unified—inside and out—with no obvious weaknesses. Killing him would require gambling on the second plan, which now seemed the most viable, albeit with only a 30-40% success rate—far lower than anticipated.
The Black Monarch’s strength and physical resilience had surpassed all intelligence.
“All nine avatars at Paramount level? What supreme treasure empowers them?” The Black Monarch taunted, now comfortably dominant.
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