Meanwhile, on the other side.
The native team and Dongbo Xueying had already charged into the ancestral domain one after another. Though the domain was surrounded by intangible ripples of obstruction, the resistance was weak.
“Practitioners from the Heart Realm Continent!” The Grand Elder was furious. He had never encountered such a tormenting illusionary assault before—those bewitching desires and temptations relentlessly dragging at his soul. He had already broken through that threshold, reaching the Emperor level. Yet, he still had to divert much of his focus to resist, greatly diminishing the power of his techniques.
His moves were already crude, and with their power drastically reduced, the pressure on the Sword Master was significantly lessened, allowing the latter to effortlessly evade and flee.
Whoosh!
Breaking through the ripples, they arrived before the towering ancestral mountain.
Dongbo Xueying gazed at the distant ancestral mountain and immediately willed his thoughts into action. Swish, swish, swish—countless white-robed figures of a young man scattered in all directions! He possessed over ten thousand avatars, but only nine of them, the strongest in combat, had come to the Broken Tooth Mountain Range. The rest were far weaker, barely at the level of ordinary Cosmic Gods.
Still, they were more than sufficient for “treasure hunting.” Dongbo Xueying casually released hundreds of avatars.
“Buzz!” The Insect Ancestor laughed heartily as his black robes transformed into countless insects, also scattering in all directions to search for treasures.
“Damn it!” The Grand Elder seethed with rage. Since when had the Deathblight Clan, who had always been the ones to devour other races’ elites, ever been invaded and robbed in their own ancestral domain?
Alas.
The most elite members of the Deathblight Clan had already retreated. They knew all too well that against the terrifying soul techniques of that Heart Realm Continent practitioner, even the Kings would usually falter—let alone those weaker, who would simply be throwing their lives away.
—
The Broken Tooth Mountain Range was created by ‘Meta’ as a training ground for practitioners. Here, danger and treasures coexisted.
However, with so many floating islands, the treasures on any single island were ultimately limited. Moreover, some treasures, considered invaluable by the Deathblight Clan’s higher-ups, had long been hidden away. Only those the Deathblight Clan disdained or deemed unworthy remained scattered outside.
The Deathblight Clan and practitioners were fundamentally different lifeforms. Some treasures immensely valuable to practitioners were utterly useless to the Deathblight Clan. Conversely, the natives and the Deathblight Clan often prized similar treasures.
“Hmm?”
Dongbo Xueying’s hundreds of avatars flew in different directions, swiftly scouting the area.
“What’s that?” One avatar noticed a stream of water cascading down the ancestral mountain, striking peculiar stones below.
These stones were pitch-black and glossy. Upon closer inspection, their surfaces bore overlapping patterns resembling scales—utterly mesmerizing.
“Dark Scale Stones?” Dongbo Xueying recognized them instantly and flew over. With a wave of his hand, he manipulated the void to gather the stones.
Dark Scale Stones were incredibly precious—indestructible, impervious even to invincible beings. Only when combined with auxiliary materials during forging could they be utilized, making them a rare treasure for crafting secret artifacts.
“So many Dark Scale Stones? Six hundred and twenty-five?” Dongbo Xueying was overjoyed.
This haul alone was worth a peak-tier secret artifact!
“The Broken Tooth Mountain Range never disappoints. A single discovery here rivals a peak-tier artifact.” Dongbo Xueying was thrilled. But realistically, how many Heart Realm Continent practitioners could breach the core ancestral domain of a floating island? And even if they did, how many could scout as swiftly as he could with his countless avatars?
—
Before entering, Dongbo Xueying, the Sword Master, and the Insect Ancestor had agreed to distribute treasures based on contribution. Of course, whoever needed something most could take it first, provided they compensated the other two.
Among them, Dongbo Xueying excelled in soul-based group attacks, the Sword Master was the strongest in combat, and the Insect Ancestor specialized in treasure hunting—his swarms of insects were unparalleled in scouting.
“Nothing else.”
Dongbo Xueying’s hundreds of avatars searched but found nothing beyond the Dark Scale Stones.
Then—
Boom!!!
A terrifying aura erupted in the distance.
Dongbo Xueying, the Insect Ancestor, and the Sword Master immediately turned their attention to the source—deep within the mountain, where the native team had stormed in. One of Dongbo Xueying’s avatars was nearby.
The aura was overwhelming, causing the trio to pale. Above the ancestral mountain, deathly black mist began coalescing, hanging ominously over the peak.
“Bloodflame Clan? Here to steal my Nether Spirit Fruits again?” A thunderous voice boomed, shaking the heavens and earth.
“It’s the Emperor.”
“He’s awakened.”
“We must leave now!”
The Sword Master, the Insect Ancestor, and Dongbo Xueying knew they were in grave danger.
“Quick, my insects have found four treasure sites. What about you?” Countless insects swarmed back to the Insect Ancestor, reforming his black robes.
“I found one,” Dongbo Xueying replied as his avatars regrouped.
“Hurry! The natives are holding them off for now, but soon the Emperor will turn on us,” the Sword Master urged anxiously.
“Flying Snow Divine Monarch, please aid the Bloodflame Clan. We will repay you handsomely!” A desperate voice reached Dongbo Xueying’s ears.
“I’ll leave a few avatars behind to assist them,” Dongbo Xueying relayed to the Sword Master.
With his numerous avatars, he could afford to leave some behind—only one of them combat-ready, the rest serving as decoys.
“Good.”
The Sword Master waved his hand, storing the Insect Ancestor and Dongbo Xueying within a pocket dimension.
Inside, Dongbo Xueying’s consciousness remained unhindered, still capable of deploying his illusionary techniques.
“Go!”
Freed from worries, the Sword Master fled at full speed.
Whoosh!
He accelerated to his limit. The gains from this floating island were already substantial, and escaping would take considerable time. The Sword Master had no confidence in outrunning the Emperor, so speed was paramount. Dying here would mean losing not just avatars but all their treasures.
Their purpose in the Broken Tooth Mountain Range was twofold: to temper themselves in peril and to gather rare treasures—some of which could aid their cultivation.
“After them!” The Grand Elder pursued relentlessly. If he lost track of them now, their concealment techniques would make rediscovery time-consuming.
He had to keep up. Once the Emperor arrived, these invaders would pay dearly.
—
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
The Elder Hall.
One of Dongbo Xueying’s most powerful avatars arrived, immediately assessing the situation.
The native team’s leader, Prince Yanji of the Bloodflame Clan, bore a sinister crimson crystal on his forehead, his power surging severalfold to invincible levels. His clansmen, arrayed in formation, each bore a drop of crimson liquid on their brows, their auras similarly amplified.
Yet their foes were formidable.
The Second and Third Elders each wielded invincible-tier strength, while Kings like Fusuo were equally fearsome.
Most terrifying was the pitch-black giant suppressing Prince Yanji. With three eyes and massive arms moving with profound grace, he battered the prince relentlessly. Fortunately, as a native, Prince Yanji’s physique was extraordinarily resilient.
“Desperation? Burning your bloodline? Futile!” The black giant slammed Prince Yanji into the ground again. Though grievously wounded, the prince’s body twisted and regenerated as he fought desperately toward a twisted, peculiar tree by a dark pool.
“Risking everything for that strange tree?”
Dongbo Xueying wasted no time.
He unleashed his illusionary techniques at full force.
Boom!
An illusory world descended upon the Elder Hall. The Second Elder, Third Elder, and other Kings paled, instantly teleporting away. Only Qidu King, aware of the invaders, had long since fled—knowing he’d perish instantly against that terrifying Heart Realm practitioner.
All Deathblight Clan members fled—except the Emperor.
“Hmm?” The black giant turned to the white-robed youth outside the hall. Even the Emperor had to divert energy to resist the illusions, his power dropping by thirty percent instantly.
Though mightier than the Grand Elder, he was still of the same Emperor tier. The Grand Elder’s soul was fundamentally superior to the Second Elder and others, but the Emperor’s was not a qualitative leap beyond the Grand Elder’s.
“Now!” Prince Yanji shouted to his clansmen. “Seize the Nether Spirit Fruits!”
“Nether Spirit Fruits!”
The Bloodflame Clan members charged madly.
—
Dongbo Xueying studied the peculiar tree. Its roots drank from a pool of inky liquid, its gnarled trunk rising about ten meters. Two fruits hung from it, their skins so thin the swirling light within was visible.
“These fruits seem extraordinary, but they’re unrecorded in our intelligence.” Dongbo Xueying suddenly noticed a gray eye embedded at the tree’s crown, radiating an oppressive aura that permeated the hall—overshadowed until now by the Emperor’s might.
As Dongbo Xueying’s gaze met the gray eye’s—
Their eyes locked.
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