“Lord of a dominion in the Divine Realm?” Dongbo Xueying felt a surge of yearning. Even the great demon-god Wushen would be considered a mere nobody in the eyes of the true supreme beings of the Divine Abyss. Those at the pinnacle still had to struggle for the secrets of dominion-level techniques. Typically, those who became lords of a dominion no longer needed to worry about learning dominion-level techniques themselves and could even bestow such techniques upon their subordinates.
“Master, you are now the new master of Crimson Stone Mountain. Whatever you ask me to do, I shall do. I obey your every command,” the artifact spirit Hongshi said earnestly, his submission genuine.
“You will do whatever I ask you to do?” Dongbo Xueying looked at the artifact spirit Hongshi with a faint smile. Hongshi hesitated slightly but still nodded, “Of course, you are the master, and I am merely an artifact spirit.”
“Then you may call me Dongbo,” Dongbo Xueying instructed.
“But how can that be, you are my…” Hongshi began to protest.
“This is my command, my first command,” Dongbo Xueying stated firmly.
Hongshi was momentarily speechless but obediently nodded. “Alright.” However, he felt a warmth inside, sensing that Dongbo Xueying truly treated him as an equal.
Dongbo Xueying smiled slightly. What of it if he was an artifact spirit? He was still a sentient being, and one who had lived far longer than himself.
“However, Master… no, Dongbo, you can just call me Hongshi. Don’t call me Senior Hongshi; no master calls their artifact spirit ‘senior’,” Hongshi quickly added.
“Alright, alright,” Dongbo Xueying chuckled. “By the way, I’d like to ask, who was the mighty being that killed my master, the Holy Sovereign Hongchen? I should be wary of him in the future.”
Hongshi nodded seriously. “Yes, you must be cautious. Never let anyone know you have transcended to the First-Rank Will of the True Dao. In fact, Dongbo, you must be careful with everyone—anyone who lives and breathes. Even your closest brothers, your wife, anyone. No matter how much you trust them, never let the secret slip. Once it’s out, it could spread like wildfire, and then you would be in grave danger. Even if a mighty being wishes to take you as a disciple, there are still many hostile forces who would never accept you as a student and would try every means possible to eliminate you. This is the burden every First-Rank Will of the True Dao must bear.”
“I understand, but who exactly was the one who killed my master?” Dongbo Xueying asked again.
“I cannot speak his name,” Hongshi replied. “Once spoken, he would sense it immediately!”
Dongbo Xueying immediately understood.
Indeed, the names of mighty beings were not to be uttered lightly.
“Of course, I could tell you indirectly through other means, but it’s better you don’t know,” Hongshi sighed. “Once you know, you will naturally become wary of him and harbor resentment.”
Hongshi mused, “Once you feel enmity toward him, the karmic connection between you will grow stronger.”
Hatred toward someone is also karma.
“Karma?” Dongbo Xueying was puzzled.
“Yes, karma,” Hongshi explained. “In fact, simply becoming a disciple of Crimson Stone Mountain has already created a slight karmic link between you and him. But since you don’t even know who he is and have no hatred toward him, the karma is very weak.”
Hongshi smiled. “Actually, Dongbo, you needn’t worry too much. The mighty beings… they are far above us. Though they may have their own rivalries, they rarely involve themselves with lesser beings like us.”
Dongbo Xueying was momentarily stunned.
“Just like in the mortal world… adults may fight among themselves, but rarely do they involve children,” Hongshi said. “In the Divine Realm and the Abyss, there are only so many mighty beings. With their eternal lifespans, they occasionally kill each other in battle. But they look down upon hunting down weak dominion gods at the first or second tier. They certainly wouldn’t bother with divine-level or transcendent beings. That would be beneath their dignity!”
Dongbo Xueying began to understand.
“They would rather wait until you reach the fourth-tier dominion god before taking action,” Hongshi continued. “Of course, there are exceptions. If you deliberately provoke a mighty being or insult their dignity and get killed, then you only have yourself to blame! Another exception is the First-Rank Will of the True Dao… almost all First-Rank Will of the True Dao are fourth-tier dominion gods. They are destined to be major threats, so it’s only natural to eliminate them early. Eliminating a First-Rank Will of the True Dao… in the Divine Realm and the Abyss, has become an unspoken rule among the mighty beings. It’s not considered beneath their dignity.”
Dongbo Xueying was left speechless.
“So as long as you don’t provoke the mighty beings and don’t reveal that you are a First-Rank Will of the True Dao, they won’t stoop to attacking you,” Hongshi concluded.
“I understand,” Dongbo Xueying nodded.
Provocation?
He wouldn’t be foolish enough to do that. So he must be careful not to expose himself.
“The Temple of Time and Space can reverse time, and it’s possible that it has already witnessed me cultivating the First-Rank Will of the True Dao,” Dongbo Xueying said anxiously. “That would be a serious exposure.”
“Rest assured,” Hongshi smiled. “The Temple of Time and Space doesn’t often reverse time; it’s a huge drain on its power. It is a genuine divine artifact, tasked with monitoring countless realms and cycles of reincarnation, even keeping an eye on divine-level and dominion gods! You are not worth its excessive attention. Of course, if it discovers you are a First-Rank Will of the True Dao, it will definitely watch you more closely.”
“Secondly, even if it does know, its master will also know.”
“But the Blood Blade Divine Court, the Isle of Time and Space, and the Ten Thousand Divine Halls have already made an agreement. The Temple of Time and Space can monitor countless realms and easily discover gifted transcendent beings. Therefore, they established a rule: both the Second-Rank and First-Rank Will of the True Dao are forbidden to be forcibly taken. At most, they can only be invited. Even if a First-Rank Will of the True Dao is discovered, it must not be exposed! Exposing it would be tantamount to destroying a First-Rank Will of the True Dao.”
“The lord of the Isle of Time and Space, at his level, would never stoop to dealing with a First-Rank Will of the True Dao.”
“The Blood Blade Divine Emperor, the lord of the Isle of Time and Space, and the master of the Ten Thousand Divine Halls, representing the three most supreme existences… they have no interest in taking disciples of the First-Rank Will of the True Dao,” Hongshi explained. “Other mighty beings vie to take First-Rank Will of the True Dao disciples, but these three are more concerned with their own power.”
Dongbo Xueying nodded slightly.
He understood.
The Blood Blade Divine Emperor, the lord of the Isle of Time and Space, and the master of the Ten Thousand Divine Halls already stood at the true pinnacle of the Divine Realm and the Abyss. Other mighty beings were all a tier below these three. Beings at such a level… they had no interest in many trivial matters, nor did they care about First-Rank Will of the True Dao.
Even the slightest improvement in their own strength would have far greater consequences.
For example, the Blood Blade Divine Emperor was universally recognized as the strongest. Within the territories of the three major powers of the Divine Realm, the Blood Blade Divine Court was the largest. Moreover, the ‘Blood Blade Taverns’ were spread throughout the Divine Realm and the Abyss.
Why? Because of their overwhelming strength!
“I understand,” Dongbo Xueying nodded, suddenly chuckling wryly. “That’s right. Although I may pose some threat in the future, I’m still far from being noticed by those three. The gap is still too great.”
“Redstone, my wife was saved by a mysterious old man with white hair,” Dongbo Xueying quickly asked. “Do you know who he is?”
Hongshi smiled. “That is the Holy Sovereign’s closest friend, also a mighty being.”
“A mighty being?” Dongbo Xueying thought to himself. Indeed, he must be a mighty being.
“He is known as the Crimson Flame Ancestor,” Hongshi said.
As soon as the words were spoken,
A faint ripple descended and swept through.
“Boy, don’t forget our promise,” a voice with a hint of amusement echoed in Dongbo Xueying’s ears.
“This junior humbly remembers,” Dongbo Xueying immediately bowed.
“Haha…” The ripple receded.
It came swiftly and departed just as quickly. The Crimson Flame Ancestor still did not know that Dongbo Xueying had already transcended to the First-Rank Will of the True Dao.
Hongshi smiled. “The Ancestor and the Holy Sovereign were extremely close friends. He usually cultivates on the Solar Star. This time, we sought his help. He said you are a person of deep emotions and righteousness, not the kind to forget favors or betray kindness. Coupled with his relationship with the Holy Sovereign, he decided to help.”
“Of course, I would never forget kindness or betray it. For such a great favor, even if it costs me my life, it would be worth it,” Dongbo Xueying said, then quickly asked, “You said he is on the Solar Star? From what I know, although the Solar Star and the Lunar Star can be seen, they are practically impossible to find.”
“Ordinary dominion gods cannot find them, but the Ancestor can,” Hongshi replied. “In fact, Dongbo, what you need most now is a good master. Although you have become the disciple of the Holy Sovereign, he has already passed away and can no longer guide you. With your talent… only with a good master can you unlock more of your potential and go further in the future.”
“The Ancestor once told me that in over a thousand years, there will be a grand event in the Blood Blade Divine Court, and he wants me to attend. He said that through this event, I might have the chance to become a disciple of a mighty being,” Dongbo Xueying said.
“A grand event?” Hongshi suddenly understood. “The Ancestor is referring to the ‘Ten Thousand Blossoms Banquet of the Divine Court.'”
“The Ten Thousand Blossoms Banquet?” Dongbo Xueying was puzzled.
“It is a grand feast hosted by the Emperor behind the Blood Blade Divine Court, inviting numerous mighty beings. He will present the precious ‘Ten Thousand Blossoms Divine Fruit’ for the mighty beings to consume. This feast… is known as the Ten Thousand Blossoms Banquet of the Divine Court,” Hongshi explained.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage