Chapter 1274: Within the Scripture Pavilion

“Oh, how strong is this Divine Lord Feixue? Is he at the peak of the Divine Lord realm?” Yufeng Junshan inquired.

He didn’t care much about the internal conflicts and battles among the various factions within Junshan City. As long as the surface remained peaceful, the undercurrents of strife were trivial matters to him. Moreover, Yufeng Junshan firmly believed that “only through conflict and struggle can true warriors be forged.” If the entire Junshan City were to remain in perpetual peace, the number of powerful experts born would likely dwindle significantly—something he absolutely did not wish to see.

The more experts, the better—they were all his subordinates! What he cared about most was the ‘peak Divine Lord’ tier, because if there were enough of them—say, ten working together—they could stand toe-to-toe with an ‘early-stage Divine Emperor.’ This was also why figures like ‘Bat Mountain Master,’ a peak Divine Lord, wielded such influence in Junshan City. Yufeng Junshan was quite lenient toward them.

“Ascendants, lacking the bloodline of the Primordial Ancestral Gods, have to claw their way up through sheer hardship. Their strength far surpasses others at the same level. If one were to reach the peak Divine Lord tier, they might even contend with an early-stage Divine Emperor. If that old fiend, the Heart-Devil, were to arrive, such an expert could serve as a valuable ally,” Yufeng Junshan mused silently.

“He is not a peak Divine Lord,” Yufeng Lei shook his head. “Steward Yun once used the Emerald Eye to examine him.”

Yufeng Junshan turned his gaze toward Steward Yun.

Steward Yun immediately bowed respectfully. “Master, when the Third Young Lady and I were returning, we encountered Divine Lord Feixue, who was severely wounded in the wilderness. At the time, I used the Emerald Eye to probe his background and confirmed that he had no Primordial Ancestral God bloodline—he is indeed an Ascendant! Moreover, he has not condensed a Divine Heart but instead cultivates his physical body. His physique is at the early Divine Lord level, and his internal injuries are grave, seemingly difficult to fully heal. However, he later claimed that he originally possessed mid-stage Divine Lord strength but had weakened due to his injuries. It has been over two months since then. Though the time is short, given that he eliminated three Divine Lords from Bat Mountain, I suspect his strength may have already recovered during this period.”

“The three Divine Lords he slew consisted of two early-stage and one mid-stage Divine Lord. The mid-stage one was quite ordinary, lacking any divine abilities,” Yufeng Lei added.

“I see,” Yufeng Junshan nodded, somewhat disappointed. “A mid-stage Divine Lord Ascendant, capable of fighting above his tier, eliminating three weaker Divine Lords is to be expected. Very well, keep an eye on him.”

Though disappointed, a mid-stage Divine Lord Ascendant could still rival a ‘peak Divine Lord’ among the natives of the Divine Realm, likely matching Bat Mountain Master in strength. This still meant gaining another formidable general under his command. The only pity was that what he truly yearned for was a ‘peak Divine Lord Ascendant.’

“Yes, Father. I will continue monitoring him,” Yufeng Lei replied.

Yet, neither Yufeng Junshan nor Yufeng Lei truly placed much importance on this matter. The threat of the ‘Heart-Devil Society Master’ loomed too close, leaving them no time to wait for a ‘mid-stage Divine Lord Ascendant’ to slowly grow stronger. Even if they did gain a ‘peak Divine Lord Ascendant,’ against the terrifying might of the Heart-Devil Society Master, the assistance would likely be negligible.

“The Ninth Young Master of Dongmu City…” Yufeng Junshan silently placed his hopes on external forces, even at the cost of sacrificing his daughter. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but there was no other choice.

The struggles among the factions of the Divine Realm were inherently brutal. Countless powers had fallen, and Yufeng Junshan refused to let the ‘Yufeng Clan of Junshan’ become the next casualty. For this, he would spare no expense.

…

“Master Feixue.”

“Master Feixue, this way.”

Within the Yufeng Clan’s estate in Junshan City, Dongbo Xueying was warmly greeted by numerous Yufeng Clan guards upon his arrival. These guards were exceptionally enthusiastic, as news traveled fast among them. Divine Lords were considered experts within Junshan City, and the death of three in one fell swoop was impossible to conceal. At the very least, the Yufeng Clan guards were well aware that ‘Bat Mountain’ had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of this Divine Lord Feixue. Naturally, none dared to slight him. Moreover, his identity as an ‘Ascendant’ alone instilled wariness in many.

Though Ascendants were rare, every one who ascended to the Divine Realm was extraordinary.

Dongbo Xueying chuckled. “Eliminating those three insects from Bat Mountain has certainly boosted my reputation.”

His path was unobstructed.

Soon, he arrived at the Yufeng Clan’s Scripture Hall.

“Master Feixue,” the guards at the Scripture Hall greeted him warmly.

“I presume I am qualified to select a cultivation manual?” Dongbo asked with a smile.

“Master Feixue, as a cultivation instructor, you are indeed qualified. However, you may only choose one manual from the first to the third floor of the Scripture Hall,” the guard replied enthusiastically. Cultivation instructors held a relatively high-status, leisurely position, reserved only for those with unique skills and strength worthy of invitation.

Dongbo Xueying then stepped into the Scripture Hall.

The Scripture Hall had six floors.

The first three were freely accessible to him.

Dongbo Xueying skimmed through the manuals one by one. Only the first page of each manual, containing a brief introduction, was visible—the rest of the pages were blank!

…

While Dongbo Xueying was selecting his cultivation manual, news of his arrival at the Yufeng Clan spread rapidly. If the name ‘Divine Lord Feixue’ had previously carried little weight, his recent triumph over Bat Mountain had catapulted him into the spotlight of Junshan City. Those well-informed understood that his strength likely placed him among the city’s top ten experts—if not quite there yet, then very close.

Otherwise, how could three Divine Lords have been so easily eradicated? Why had ‘Bat Mountain Master’ remained silent until now?

“Hurry, hurry! Let’s go see!”

“I’ve been wanting to meet Divine Lord Feixue, but he’s been in seclusion. Now’s the perfect chance.”

“Look! Bat Mountain Master is here too!”

“It’s him!”

Many noticed an ugly, triangular-headed elder entering the Yufeng Clan’s estate. He, too, was one of the clan’s cultivation instructors and passed through unimpeded.

“This is getting interesting.”

“Divine Lord Feixue just showed up, and Bat Mountain Master arrives right after.”

“Perhaps we’ll witness a great battle soon.”

…

Despite the commotion outside, Dongbo Xueying remained patient as he perused the manuals in the Scripture Hall. To him, petty conflicts were trivial. What truly mattered was unraveling the rules of this world. He was beginning to grasp the meaning behind Yuan’s words: “Tempering oneself across different civilizations,” “Grasping the eternal essence of the Dao,” and “Transcending the constraints of countless civilizations to become a great Primordial Lifeform.”

The eternal Dao.

Just as a Cosmic Deity’s Dao could traverse different Source Worlds, this world he had entered was clearly not a Source World. If a Cosmic Deity’s Dao couldn’t function here, whose could? Dongbo Xueying recalled that this world was created by three Primordial Ancestral Gods and surmised—only a ‘Primordial-level Dao’ could prevail here.

“Tempering across different civilizations, discarding crude insights, what remains—what can traverse different civilizations—is the eternal essence. The foundation of the Primordial,” Dongbo Xueying speculated.

Regardless, his priority was to restore his strength to what it had been in the Heartworld Continent.

Relying solely on his own comprehension would be too slow. Drawing upon the experiences of this world’s experts would accelerate the process tremendously.

“The natives of this Divine Realm, though they cultivate bloodlines, clearly possess far more sophisticated techniques—some even develop divine abilities?” Dongbo Xueying pondered. “The Deathless and Native Tribes of the Broken Tooth Mountain Range also have Primordial bloodlines, but theirs stem from two fallen, terrifying Primordial beings. Their methods are self-taught. This Divine Realm is different—it was created by three living Primordial Ancestral Gods, whose bloodlines have been passed down to this day. Surely, they must have left some guidance for their descendants?”

“Yet, it remains rooted in bloodlines, with minimal emphasis on Dao comprehension.”

“What I need are the manuals of Ascendants.”

Dongbo Xueying had already found two Ascendant manuals, but neither pertained to the Void Dao.

Ascendants lacked Primordial bloodlines.

Their cultivation methods were diverse, yet they, too, drew power from the world to strengthen themselves. Some even seemed comparable to the ‘Rule-Oriented Path.’ After all, all roads led to the same destination—just as ‘Sorcerers’ and ‘Ancient Cultivators’ ultimately sought to master the ‘Dao’ at the Ultimate level.

Most Ascendants followed this path. Only a rare few harvested the bloodlines of Divine Realm natives to empower themselves—a practice nearly forbidden here. Dongbo Xueying had only learned of it through memory searches.

“The Yufeng Clan of Junshan City has amassed quite a collection—dozens of Ascendant manuals. Yet, only two pertain to the Void Dao: one at the Divine General level, the other at the Divine Lord level.” Dongbo Xueying picked up a deep-blue book inscribed with the name of its technique—”Sundering Heaven Void Sword Art.”

“Well, finding one useful manual is better than nothing,” Dongbo Xueying smiled. By the standards of his homeland, a Divine Lord-level manual would be considered an Ultimate-level scripture.

Only in this Primordial Ancestral God-bloodline-dominated Divine Realm would such a manual, limited to the Divine Lord level and arduous to master, be relegated to the third floor.

“Master Feixue, have you made your selection?” A guard approached as Dongbo Xueying walked over with the deep-blue book.

“Yes, this one,” Dongbo Xueying handed it over.

The guard glanced at it and said, “Please wait a moment, Master Feixue. I’ll retrieve the original. You may only read it within the Scripture Hall and must return it afterward.”

“Understood,” Dongbo Xueying nodded, his heart brimming with anticipation. This manual would serve as his window into understanding this world, greatly accelerating his progress.

…