Chapter 393: The Heart of the World

This is a special place.

It exists as the most mysterious space within the entire Xia Clan World. This space is profoundly enigmatic, and its importance to the Xia Clan World is akin to that of a soul to a human being! Even the world projections of mighty beings cannot enter here; they are forcibly repelled. There is only one way to enter this mysterious space—by being a native life form that has reached a sufficient level of cultivation!

“Whoosh!” Dongbo Xueying appeared within this special space.

All around was emptiness. Dongbo Xueying stood within it, surrounded by countless operating cosmic principles. This was an ocean of cosmic mysteries, where infinite secrets formed the vast celestial and terrestrial laws governing the entire Xia Clan World. It was precisely because of these cosmic laws that life within this world could sense and comprehend them, ultimately grasping their true essence.

“Is this the Heart of the World?” Dongbo Xueying gazed into the vastness around him, his mortal eyes able to perceive countless strange waves spreading everywhere.

“Refine it.”

Dongbo Xueying closed his eyes and began to refine the Heart of the World with all his might.

His mighty soul, empowered by the third stage of World Essence, seeped into the Heart of the World.

Yes.

A powerful soul!

When Dongbo Xueying grasped the ‘World Essence,’ he finally understood why the ‘Red Dust Sage Master’ had set the rule—”No disciple of Red Stone Mountain is permitted to cultivate the Art of Clones unless they have mastered a first-tier essence or become a World God!” This was because grasping a first-tier essence allowed one to easily recover from soul depletion. And once one mastered a first-tier Divine Heart and became a World God, recovery became even faster.

Previously, due to the soul depletion from saving his wife, his soul had been continuously and rapidly recovering since he attained the first-tier essence. Within merely over a month, it had fully recovered. And after this complete recovery, his soul had kept growing stronger, thanks to the power of the first-tier essence.

The ‘first-tier essence’ was known as the most perfect and miraculous essence for good reason. Beyond its usual applications in attack, defense, and survival, it also provided extraordinary benefits in areas such as soul protection, recovery, and nourishment.

Over a year had passed.

Dongbo Xueying’s soul was now more than three times stronger than its peak state before he rescued his wife. This was the nourishment granted by the first-tier essence.

“So comfortable,” Dongbo Xueying felt as though he were a child in his mother’s embrace—his soul encountered no resistance, as the Heart of the World nurtured him. Although the Heart of the World was supremely mysterious, it was not recreating a Heart of the World, which made the refinement process significantly easier. It took Dongbo Xueying’s soul force more than three days to fully penetrate the Heart of the World.

The Heart of the World was now imprinted with his soul mark.

“Boom!”

At the moment of successful control, Dongbo Xueying felt a thunderous resonance, and his soul trembled.

His entire perception of sight and touch transformed entirely.

“What is this…?”

At this moment, he seemed to embody the entire Xia Clan World.

Dongbo Xueying was a vast world himself, clearly seeing the outside of the world.

Before him, in the endless void, one colossal mortal world after another slowly rotated and floated. At a glance, they were densely packed, countless mortal worlds all in motion. Each mortal world revolved on its own axis while also moving through space. They maintained distances from each other, so even though countless mortal worlds were in motion, none collided.

“Are those the Sun and the Moon?” Dongbo Xueying ‘saw.’

At the distant poles,

A massive sun resided at one pole, and an equally massive moon at the other.

They illuminated the entire Material Plane, the Divine Realm, and even the Abyss—an unfathomable pair of celestial bodies with the greatest power! According to legend, the spaces occupied by the Sun and the Moon were also incredibly mysterious. Although the Material Plane, the Divine Realm, and the Abyss could all see the Sun and the Moon, they were nearly impossible to locate.

“The Abyss of Darkness?” Dongbo Xueying also ‘saw.’

The countless mortal worlds were slowly flying, revolving around the central darkness.

That darkness was the Abyss of Darkness!

Though the distance was considerable, Dongbo Xueying, now seemingly embodying the Xia Clan World, could barely perceive a vague, circular darkness. According to legend, the worlds within the Abyss of Darkness were layered upon each other. Because of the many overlapping worlds, the Abyss of Darkness was also known as the ‘Bottomless Abyss.’

…

Suddenly, Dongbo Xueying’s mind stirred.

Boom.

What he had previously ‘seen’—the countless mortal worlds—suddenly radiated countless waves of cosmic laws. The vast Material Plane was composed of countless mortal worlds, each with its own celestial and terrestrial laws! At this moment, countless waves of cosmic laws radiated outward, as if countless droplets formed an ocean.

What Dongbo Xueying now saw was a vast, endless ocean of cosmic laws—the cosmic laws of the Material Plane!

It was even more boundless and expansive.

Before it, even mighty beings had to bow and could not enter. Even the exalted creators, such as the Master of the Time-Space Temple, could at most send people or objects into the Material Plane. They could not forcibly transport divine beings into it. Because even at their unfathomable level of cultivation, they could only resort to cunning tricks and could not violate the fundamental operating laws of the Material Plane.

The Material Plane, the Divine Realm, the Abyss, and even the Sun and the Moon all had their own laws.

Since the beginning of all things, even the most powerful beings must abide by them.

“Everyone must bow before the laws of the Material Plane,” Dongbo Xueying was awestruck.

There will always be someone greater.

Although Dongbo Xueying had refined the Heart of the World, it was only because he was a native life form that he had barely managed to do so. The celestial and terrestrial laws remained vast and unfathomable. Now, seeing the higher-level ‘Material Plane Laws,’ he was naturally even more astonished. Before the laws of the Material Plane, even Dongbo Xueying, who had already grasped the first-tier essence, felt as insignificant as an ant facing the stars—so small!

He immediately retracted his soul force, no longer extending his perception to the vast Material Plane!

“My current cultivation level is still very low, not even a World God yet! When I reach a higher level, perhaps my perception of the celestial and terrestrial laws and the laws of the Material Plane will be different,” Dongbo Xueying withdrew his soul force and carefully observed his homeland, the Xia Clan World—rivers winding like threads, vast oceans, islands like scattered pearls.

The Xia Clan World was beautiful and enchanting.

Seabirds soared in the sky, while magical beasts lived in the depths of the ocean.

“As for the magical Orc Clan, there’s no need to exterminate them entirely. Otherwise, in the future, the Xia Clan World might no longer have magical beasts to see. That would be a great pity,” Dongbo Xueying thought as he gazed upon this beautiful world. His mindset had changed with his cultivation level. Now, having refined the Heart of the World, he controlled the entire Xia Clan World.

Within the Xia Clan World, he commanded and manipulated all the laws of heaven and earth! He was invincible!

This was completely different from before, when he could only harness a small portion of the world’s power. Now, he commanded all the world’s forces, including every celestial and terrestrial law! He was the undisputed ruler of the Xia Clan World.

It could be said that even a World God of the Fourth Heaven could not threaten him. Only mighty beings could employ mysterious techniques to attack across multiple spatial layers. This was precisely why many powerful cultivators made oaths witnessed by Blood Blade Divine Emperor or the Master of the Time-Space Temple.

“The Xia Clan World is so vibrant and diverse,” Dongbo Xueying observed countless large, small, and extraordinary worlds. He saw the leaders of the magical Orc Clan and demons hiding in the Tree Sea World, as well as different reflections of the Real World—Shadow World, Void Realm, and the spaces between worlds.

“Red Stone Mountain?”

Dongbo Xueying observed Red Stone Mountain.

Red Stone Mountain radiated immense power, so vast and mighty that it could even forcibly resist the celestial and terrestrial laws of the Xia Clan World! Around it formed a seemingly tiny void of darkness. As Dongbo Xueying’s mind touched this darkness, it was immediately repelled.

This caused Dongbo Xueying to sigh inwardly, “Even the treasure left behind by my master possesses such might. How powerful must a mighty being’s true body be? It’s simply unimaginable.”

“Hmm?” Suddenly, a ripple passed through the darkness, brushing against Dongbo Xueying’s mind. “Is… that you, Xueying?”

“Senior Red Stone?” Dongbo Xueying sensed the familiar ripple and responded immediately.

“Have you… refined the Heart of the World?” The ripple from the void carried the voice of the artifact spirit, Red Stone, filled with astonishment.