Although the Lord of Nanyun received the report and suspected that Ying Shan Xueying had killed the Dust Fan Lord, the thought that “Ying Shan Xueying was the one who slew the Black Monarch” merely flashed through his mind before being quickly dismissed. He knew all too well how difficult it was to achieve such a feat—slaying someone in an instant, leaving even the Eternal Night Progenitor no time to intervene!
The Black Monarch was far beyond the Dust Fan Lord in power.
Across the entire Heart Realm Continent, aside from the invincible existences, fewer than ten individuals could accomplish such a feat. Even the Lord of Nanyun himself could only do so within the capital of Nanyun. Outside, he was powerless.
“It was me,” Dongbo Xueying admitted with a faint smile, nodding as he produced the Black Monarch’s weapon. He had never intended to hide the truth.
“You… how did you manage it? How is this possible?” The Lord of Nanyun could hardly believe it.
“My Illusory Realm Path has reached the second level of Cosmic God. Master, you should know how precious a second-level Illusory Realm scripture is,” Dongbo Xueying explained.
Before, even the likes of the Xia Emperor had demanded that news of his breakthrough to the second level of the Illusory Realm Cosmic God be kept secret until the collection of Hunyuan Sand was complete, to avoid unnecessary complications.
“You’ve broken through in the Illusory Realm?” The Lord of Nanyun was both shocked and enlightened. “Did you sell it to the Xia Wind Ancient Nation?”
“Yes,” Dongbo Xueying nodded.
“Don’t sell it too cheaply,” the Lord of Nanyun urged. “Scriptures like this—even the likes of Patriarch Fan and the Monarch of Motian would be willing to pay exorbitant prices for them. They’re directly tied to their cultivation paths! Even the great ancient nations place immense value on soul-related scriptures. After all, to this day, there hasn’t been a single ultimate-level soul scripture in the entire Heart Realm Continent.”
“I got a decent deal. Among the rewards was a treasure called the ‘Void Fire Lotus,’ a peak-tier artifact perfectly suited to me. After studying it for a long time, I developed some killing techniques based on it. With one such technique, I managed to slay the Black Monarch,” Dongbo Xueying said.
The Lord of Nanyun listened with a mix of envy and admiration.
The Void Fire Lotus…
Even he coveted it!
But he also knew that while there were several extremely powerful peak-tier artifacts in the Heart Realm Continent, those capable of effortlessly slaying the Black Monarch were pitifully few.
“I never expected you to grow so quickly, Xueying. Your strength may already surpass mine,” the Lord of Nanyun remarked, eyeing the dark aura emanating from the curved blade in his hand. “This artifact is quite famous. Almost no one would trade a peak-tier artifact for Cosmic Crystals. If we were to assign a price, the Black Monarch’s weapon would be worth around 300 billion Cosmic Crystals. The materials you need would cost roughly 170 billion, leaving a considerable surplus. Do you need anything else? If not, I can compensate you directly with Cosmic Crystals.”
The Lord of Nanyun had no intention of taking advantage of such a windfall.
“Master, back when you gifted me the Demon Emperor’s Robe, you did so without hesitation,” Dongbo Xueying pointed out.
“That was a fair exchange for your service as a guardian of the Nanyun Sacred Sect,” the Lord of Nanyun replied with a smile. “Come now, everyone knows I’m the wealthiest among the Venerable Masters in the Heart Realm Continent. I won’t exploit you for such a small benefit. To me, even 300 billion Cosmic Crystals wouldn’t be enough to buy an artifact like this.”
After a moment of thought, Dongbo Xueying produced a scroll, upon which words began to materialize. Soon, he had recorded a long list of treasures and materials.
“These materials should cost around 100 billion Cosmic Crystals,” he said, handing the new scroll to his master. “If you can gather these for me, that will suffice. As for the Black Monarch’s artifact… it’s best not to reveal it publicly for now. Otherwise, the world might suspect either you or me as the killer.”
If the Lord of Nanyun were to openly wield this curved blade, suspicions would inevitably arise—after all, both he and Ying Shan Xueying were second-level Cosmic Gods in the Void Path.
“Very well, then I’ll take this small advantage,” the Lord of Nanyun conceded. “As for the blade, haha, I’m in no hurry. Time is long, and there will be plenty of opportunities to trade it for something I need later. As for you, Xueying, your strength won’t remain hidden forever. Sooner or later, you’ll have to reveal it.” He looked at Dongbo Xueying intently. “When the Eternal Night Progenitor finds out, what will you do? You must understand his temperament. By killing the Black Monarch, you’ve humiliated him. He won’t let you off lightly.”
“Let him come,” Dongbo Xueying replied indifferently.
Seeing his disciple’s calm demeanor, the Lord of Nanyun pressed, “Are you confident in facing him?”
If he could slay the Black Monarch so easily… surely he had some means of survival against an invincible existence.
“I can at least ensure my survival,” Dongbo Xueying affirmed.
“Hmm.”
The Lord of Nanyun nodded slightly before frowning. “I understand why you killed the Black Monarch. He wronged you first, cutting off your cultivation opportunities in the Heart Realm Palace. Severing one’s path is a grave offense that demands retribution. But… why did you also kill the Dust Fan Lord? You had no grudge against him. And those nineteen cities—you still went to save them, knowing the Eternal Night Progenitor might be watching. Are you truly that righteous?”
His disciple had even requested all intelligence related to large-scale massacres and disasters from the Nanyun Sacred Sect’s information network.
This made the Lord of Nanyun wonder—was his disciple simply too righteous for his own good?
“It was what I had to do,” Dongbo Xueying replied with a smile.
“Had to do?” The Lord of Nanyun was taken aback. “What do you mean, ‘had to do’? You weren’t like this before.”
“I wasn’t like this before because I wasn’t strong enough. If I had recklessly sought vengeance back then, I would have died long before reaching this level,” Dongbo Xueying explained. “With greater power comes greater responsibility. Now that I have the strength, I can’t stand idly by and watch such atrocities unfold. So I must act.”
The Lord of Nanyun fell silent for a moment.
He was beginning to understand.
“Had to do”?
This was a conviction that came from the heart, a natural extension of one’s beliefs—a reflection of one’s Dao Heart.
“You’ll exhaust yourself this way,” the Lord of Nanyun finally said.
“Exhaust myself? Why would I?” Dongbo Xueying shook his head in confusion. “To me, it’s effortless. Cultivation itself requires battle and tempering. I merely eliminate fiends when I encounter them. And seeing countless lives saved from despair, witnessing their joy—it brings me genuine happiness. It’s a deeply fulfilling experience.”
The Dao Heart demanded adherence and action!
“Very well, I was wrong. What I see as exhausting and troublesome is, for you, a source of great joy and fulfillment,” the Lord of Nanyun conceded with a sigh. “But Xueying, cultivation is about ascending through the tiers of life. When the gap between lifeforms becomes too vast, the weak are seen as nothing more than ants. Take the Hunyuan Lifeforms—those who have transcended the confines of their source worlds. To them, we cultivators trapped within these cages are mere insects. And to us, those weaklings at the True God or World God level are no different. Don’t argue—a single breath from you could annihilate countless of them. If that’s not the definition of ants, what is?”
Dongbo Xueying immediately realized that his master seemed quite knowledgeable about Hunyuan Lifeforms.
“Ants?” Dongbo Xueying countered. “Even as Cosmic Gods, we were once weak children who struggled through countless trials to reach this point. How can we, having grown from weakness to this level, look back and dismiss the weak as mere insects? A cultivator must never forget his roots!”
“This isn’t about forgetting roots—it’s about the progression of cultivation,” the Lord of Nanyun retorted. “The path of cultivation is arduous, fraught with countless hardships. Many fall along the way. For us to have come this far is no small feat—it requires talent, opportunity, mental fortitude, and even luck. Given how difficult it is, why invite unnecessary dangers and complications for the sake of the weak? They have their own paths to forge. Let them fight their own battles.”
“If I don’t act, countless weaklings won’t even have the chance to fight,” Dongbo Xueying shook his head. “The path of cultivation is indeed filled with trials, but large-scale slaughter isn’t a trial—it’s a disruption of the entire order of the cultivation world. If everyone prioritizes self-preservation, the weak will perish entirely. Those with power must shoulder their responsibilities. This is a duty that inherently belongs to us!”
“When I was weak, I could retreat.”
“Now that I’m strong, I must stand forward,” Dongbo Xueying declared.
“But this path… will only draw ever-stronger enemies,” the Lord of Nanyun couldn’t help but warn. “Do you know that before the First Ancient Nation War, the figure widely regarded as the strongest in the Heart Realm Continent wasn’t the Xia Emperor, but another?”
Dongbo Xueying nodded. “I know—the Undying Underworld Emperor. A terrifying being said to bring despair and death.”
“Correct. Among the invincible existences, he is the most malevolent,” the Lord of Nanyun confirmed.
Dongbo Xueying smiled faintly. “Of course I know. His legends are numerous. But hasn’t he vanished since the First Ancient Nation War? With such a long absence, he’s likely already fallen.” A being nearly synonymous with death—one could only imagine the cruelty of his methods.
The Lord of Nanyun studied Dongbo Xueying.
Though he disagreed with his disciple’s convictions, he couldn’t help but admire such a person.
“He isn’t dead,” the Lord of Nanyun said. “He has returned.”
“Returned?” Dongbo Xueying frowned. “What do you mean, ‘returned’?”
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