Chapter 327: Cause and Effect

Time passed day by day.

Although Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu held infinite reverence for the ‘Cliff Blade Marks’, they continued advancing along the great canyon, eager to witness each new mark upon the cliffs. Who could say whether something greater, something more suitable for them, might lie ahead?

…

In the blink of an eye, the final day of the month had arrived.

“Hu.” A golden figure darted through the canyon.

“A!”

The golden figure abruptly halted—it was the dark-skinned youth ‘You Lan’, wrapped in white cloth. He now turned his head toward the cliff beside him. There, upon the cliff face, was the same blade mark Dongbo Xueying and the others had once gazed upon! That single blade mark seemed to contain all the mysteries and laws of the world, so profoundly moving it nearly matched the awe he had felt when witnessing ‘The Creation of Heaven and Earth’.

“Such a cliff mark still exists!” You Lan’s expression turned to frustration. Clenching his teeth, he muttered bitterly, “Damn it, damn it! I feared Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu might team up against me, so I deliberately stayed at the very back, even hesitating to advance too far. Yet I never expected there would be such an incomprehensible blade technique here.”

“If I had known earlier, I should have arrived here sooner. Staying here for nearly a month might have allowed me to breakthrough, create my own secret technique, or even condense a second-tier Divine Heart.”

“Sigh.”

“I still have some time. I’ll stay here for another half an incense stick’s worth.” Unable to suppress his urge, You Lan immediately entered the nearby grassland where time flowed the fastest, greedily studying and contemplating the mark.

Even though this grassland accelerated time fifteenfold, half an incense stick’s duration in the outside world only equated to slightly more than seven incense sticks within the grassland.

It was too short.

Just as he was beginning to immerse himself, he was forced to stop. If he delayed any further, he wouldn’t have enough time to escape the canyon, and then the five patrol beasts would come after him!

“This Dongbo Xueying, this Chen Jiu—they ruined my chance!” You Lan was furious and deeply regretful. He had only been able to contemplate this mysterious and profound cliff blade mark for such a short time. He could have spent much longer!

“You escaped last time, but next time, when the opportunity comes…” You Lan’s hatred for Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu deepened, and even his disdain for the Xia Clan grew alongside it. “This is a race of mere mortals from a pathetic world. Once I become a disciple guardian of Redstone Mountain and leave this place, you’ll learn what it means to regret!”

With lingering resentment, You Lan cast one last glance at the cliff blade mark before swiftly transforming into a streak of light and continuing on his way.

…

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Traveling at a speed of a thousand miles per second, he hurried forward. At the same time, he used his Time Deceleration Domain to sense his surroundings—he feared encountering Dongbo Xueying and the others.

One-on-one, he still had confidence.

But one against two? That would be practically suicide.

…

In a wide canyon,

Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu were studying a sword technique carved into the cliff face. In truth, for beings of transcendence and divinity, the sword techniques, blade techniques, and spear techniques left behind by their predecessors were of little interest. What they truly sought were the underlying principles and mysteries hidden within.

“This Bloodvine Flower…” Dongbo Xueying glanced at a green-vined, red-flowered plant beside him. The Bloodvine was now over three meters tall. Besides its main green vine, it had sprouted many smaller vines, each covered in green leaves and blooming red flowers, swaying elegantly.

Although they had only been in the canyon for about a month, due to the time acceleration in different areas, the Bloodvine had absorbed more than a year’s worth of natural energy.

“Hmm?” Dongbo Xueying suddenly turned his gaze to the left, toward the distant, barely visible end of the canyon.

“Chen Jiu, Chen Jiu.” Dongbo Xueying called out.

“What is it?” Chen Jiu stopped.

“I’ve found You Lan.” Dongbo Xueying’s lips curved slightly. “He’s rushing toward us at high speed. He’s still nearly ninety thousand miles away.”

His Void Realm could detect up to a full hundred thousand miles. As soon as You Lan entered that range, he was discovered.

“You Lan? He’s finally come? Hahahaha…” A cold gleam appeared in Chen Jiu’s eyes. “Perfect timing.”

“His Time Deceleration Domain can cover a wide area,” Dongbo Xueying explained. “It likely spans nearly ten thousand miles. Once he gets close, it will be easy for him to detect us. So I’ll need to bring you into the Void Realm, because without mastery of Void Truth, you won’t be able to fight within it—you’ll just have to follow my lead.”

“Haha, my life was already saved by you. Bring me into the Void Realm,” Chen Jiu said without hesitation.

Before entering the Xia Clan’s world, Chen Jiu had gathered intelligence on them, including detailed information on Dongbo Xueying.

It was precisely because he had seen Dongbo Xueying’s growth that he decided to help and bring him in.

And after spending this time together, Chen Jiu had become even more convinced that Dongbo Xueying was someone trustworthy with whom one could share life and death—not the kind of treacherous, scheming person.

“Haha, good.” Feeling trusted brought Dongbo Xueying joy. He immediately reached out and grabbed Chen Jiu’s wrist, while using his other hand to summon, “Bloodvine, come here.”

The Bloodvine, which had been swaying proudly, obediently transformed into a streak of light and flew toward Dongbo Xueying’s wrist, wrapping around it as a vine.

Hu.

With a single step,

Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu directly entered the Void Realm.

Inside the Void Realm,

Chen Jiu, pulled in by Dongbo Xueying, curiously looked around this world that appeared almost identical to the real world. Yet there was a sense of rejection—if Dongbo Xueying wasn’t holding him, he would have been expelled instantly.

“Truly amazing,” Chen Jiu marveled. “Without sufficient strength, one cannot even enter the Void Realm. Even when brought in by you, I can’t fight normally here.”

He could only attack from the real world, forcing his power into the Void Realm.

“In time, when you become a god, or even stronger, perhaps you’ll be able to enter the Void Realm yourself,” Dongbo Xueying said.

“Even if I could enter, I wouldn’t be able to fight freely like those who have mastered Void Truth. Their power remains unaffected, even enhanced,” Chen Jiu mused. Void Truth was among the rarest and least common of the second-tier truths. Mastering it could make one a deadly assassin.

“I’ve heard that once one reaches the Void God Heart stage, it becomes even more powerful,” Chen Jiu continued. “One wouldn’t even need to fight personally anymore.”

“Reality is void, void is reality,” Dongbo Xueying said. “I’ve reached the ‘reality is void’ stage at my third realm, but only when one reaches the Void God Heart stage can one truly say ‘void is reality.'”

Reality is void—meaning one’s body can transform into a void-like form.

Void is reality—meaning one can manifest a Void Realm clone that is completely real, possessing the same strength as the original. That was terrifying. At that point, the original wouldn’t even need to fight, hiding within the Void Realm instead. One could simply deploy the ‘Void God Body’ to battle. Even if it perished, it could instantly reform.

“Each second-tier truth becomes incredibly powerful once one reaches the God Heart stage,” Dongbo Xueying added. “Your ‘Only Me Truth’ and ‘Eight Dragons Truth’—whichever reaches the God Heart stage, your strength will undergo a qualitative leap.”

“Pity that step is so difficult to take,” Chen Jiu sighed lightly.

If one could condense a God Heart from the Only Me Truth, one could easily dominate newly ascended gods with an inconceivable body.

“He’s here,” Dongbo Xueying suddenly said.

“Hmm.” Chen Jiu immediately turned his attention.

Dongbo Xueying could sense everything within a hundred thousand miles and could observe the real world from within the Void Realm. Chen Jiu, however, could only watch through his eyes.

…

You Lan was flying rapidly through the vast canyon, his eyes pained as he passed by the marks on the cliff walls. Despite his anguish, he had to proceed cautiously.

“Hmm?” You Lan suddenly turned his head, sensing something.

From the void emerged two figures—a frail-looking white-robed youth and a middle-aged man in green robes exuding a fierce aura. It was Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu, standing side by side, their gazes fixed on You Lan. They showed no urgency, for they were fully confident in their ability to eliminate You Lan here and now.

“How could you…” You Lan’s heart leapt in fear as he saw both Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu appear together.

What he feared most had come to pass.

“Every cause has its effect. All you’ve done in the Xia Clan’s world, all the deadly traps you set before—those causes have led to this moment—the result: You Lan will die in this canyon!” Dongbo Xueying said coldly.