“We should team up as soon as possible and eliminate him,” Chen Jiu said coldly, his murderous intent unmistakable. The ambush by Lord You Lan had nearly cost both of them their lives before.
“He must be eliminated!” Dongbo Xueying’s eyes also burned with killing intent. For Lord You Lan to set up such a deadly trap in a perilous place like the First Vine Leaf World showed how vengeful he truly was. If You Lan became a Guardian Disciple and survived to leave Hongshi Mountain, he wouldn’t simply retreat to the Dark Abyss. He would likely unleash a brutal retaliation against the entire Xia Clan.
“Congratulations on surviving,” a voice suddenly called out. From the nearby main vine trunk emerged a green-haired woman—Xi Wei.
“Greetings, Senior Xi Wei,” Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu both bowed respectfully.
“This is the Second Vine Leaf,” Xi Wei gazed down at the vast world below. “You should know the rules—within the Second Vine Leaf World, there are patrol beasts roaming the mountains. Every transcendental will be attacked by one such patrol beast. If you remain in the Second Vine Leaf for more than ten days, you will face two patrol beasts simultaneously. If you stay beyond a month, you will be attacked by five.”
“Surviving attacks from five patrol beasts means you can remain in the Second Vine Leaf indefinitely without danger. Of course, this does not include the possibility of being killed by fellow transcendentals,” Xi Wei explained.
“We understand,” Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu nodded.
They were already familiar with the rules.
“The First and Second Vine Leaf Worlds are meant to push your limits. Make the most of this opportunity and strengthen yourselves,” Xi Wei said with a smile before vanishing into the vine trunk.
Whoosh!
Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu dove down and landed on the edge of the massive vine leaf.
“Dongbo, Master Fu has already shattered his talisman and left Hongshi Mountain. We can no longer use divine scrolls,” Chen Jiu said. “Facing patrol beasts will be a bit of a problem. Are you sure we should still travel together?”
“Of course,” Dongbo Xueying replied. “Only together can we stand a chance against Lord You Lan. As for the patrol beasts, although we no longer have divine scrolls, my Star True Meaning has advanced to the third stage. Its gravitational field can counter them effectively.”
Chen Jiu’s expression brightened. “Excellent! The Star True Meaning is indeed well-balanced. It always proves useful no matter the danger.”
Dongbo Xueying nodded.
True Meanings vary—some are extreme, others balanced.
Void Realm and Ultimate Piercing are both extreme techniques. Chen Jiu’s “Only Self True Meaning” is also extreme, focusing entirely on enhancing one’s physical form.
The Star True Meaning, however, is balanced.
It offers strong defense and considerable power. While its raw strength may not be as effective in direct attacks, it also includes the “Gravitational Domain”—a wide-range field that grows stronger against heavier targets.
Possessing such a well-rounded True Meaning is indeed advantageous.
Especially when combined with the “Ultimate Piercing” to form the secret technique “Star Annihilation Strike.” That technique is truly perfect—combining immense power with terrifying destructive potential.
…
The Second Vine Leaf World was a vast expanse of mountains, stretching endlessly.
Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu arrived at the entrance of a massive canyon. The only way through the Second Vine Leaf World was to traverse this canyon until reaching its end.
“Master Meishan’s team is the fastest. They arrived a day earlier than us,” Chen Jiu said. “As for You Lan, he probably didn’t get much ahead of us. We might still catch up to him.”
“Pursue,” Dongbo Xueying agreed.
Whoosh!
The two immediately advanced into the canyon.
More than an hour after they entered, a figure finally emerged from a cave deep within a distant mountain. It was a barefoot, black-skinned youth wrapped in white cloth. He gazed toward the canyon entrance with a mocking smirk in his eyes: “Two fools, thinking they can hunt me down, not realizing I’m behind them. No matter how hard you chase, you’ll never catch me!”
Only then did Lord You Lan slowly begin walking toward the canyon, his Time Deceleration Domain already activated to detect any enemies.
…
This canyon stretched through the entire mountain range, all the way to its end—nearly nine million li long.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu moved swiftly. Along the way, they occasionally paused to admire the various carvings on the canyon walls. Despite this, they still covered a million li in less than half an hour.
“Huh?”
On the grassy plain in front of a distant cliff wall, Master Meishan, the white-robed girl, and the black-clothed man were studying the cliff carvings, attempting to decipher the sword techniques inscribed there.
“Dongbo Xueying, Chen Jiu, you arrived quickly,” Master Meishan turned to greet them, stepping off the grassy area where they had been cultivating. This grassy area had an accelerated time flow—many such areas existed in the Second Vine Leaf World, allowing transcendentals to gain more cultivation time.
For example, staying more than ten days would summon two patrol beasts. But in an area where time flowed ten times faster, ten days equated to one hundred days in the outside world.
Master Meishan smiled. “I arrived a day earlier than you in the Second Vine Leaf World, yet you caught up so quickly? Didn’t you stop to study the cliff carvings along the way? There are many techniques left behind by ancient masters—martial arts, sword techniques, and more.”
“No rush,” Chen Jiu replied. “We’re chasing Lord You Lan first. Once he’s dead, we can take our time studying.”
“Oh, Master Meishan, have you seen Lord You Lan?” Dongbo Xueying asked.
Master Meishan shook his head. “Haven’t seen him. If he had arrived here, I would have noticed.”
“Ahh.”
Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu exchanged glances.
“He’s behind us!” Dongbo Xueying said urgently. “Lord You Lan must have known we were hunting him. When he arrived in the Second Vine Leaf World, he didn’t rush into the canyon. Instead, he must have hidden somewhere in the mountains. He probably only entered the canyon after seeing us go in.”
“What do we do now?” Chen Jiu asked. “Go back and kill him?”
“No rush,” Dongbo Xueying shook his head. “Who knows how long You Lan will hide in the mountains? He will eventually enter the canyon. We just need to cultivate patiently and wait for him to walk into our net.”
Chen Jiu nodded with a smile. “Right, I didn’t even stop to cultivate at some interesting spots we passed.”
“Let’s go, let’s go. We’ll check them out first,” Dongbo Xueying said eagerly.
“Thanks, we’ll be off,” Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu bid farewell to Master Meishan and immediately departed.
As they walked, they discussed the cliff carvings they had seen earlier and quickly agreed on a spot both found interesting. They backtracked more than ten thousand li and stopped.
Both looked up at the cliff wall.
It was covered in intricate lines forming a pattern resembling a massive volcanic crater. Countless spheres flew from the crater, each radiating a destructive aura. The crater itself seemed bottomless, as if it contained the source of all destruction.
Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu immediately searched for the area near the cliff with the fastest time flow. It was beside a stream. Here, time flowed approximately nine times faster.
“Go ahead, little one,” Dongbo Xueying glanced at the Blood Vine Flower bracelet on his wrist, which was greedily absorbing the surrounding energy.
Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu settled down and gazed upward.
Of course—
Dongbo Xueying also kept a portion of his awareness on the surroundings through the Void Realm. Chen Jiu used his Eight Dragon True Meaning to monitor the surrounding ten thousand li. If Lord You Lan approached, they would be ready to strike.
“This feeling of destruction,” Dongbo Xueying stared at the volcanic crater on the cliff wall. He felt the essence of the “Ultimate Point”—the beginning of all things—and began to contemplate it deeply, occasionally moving his hands to test his understanding.
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