Chapter 399: Dongbo Divine Emperor

“The Orc Clan is doomed,” Elder Orland gazed at the group of fellow clansmen, a wave of sorrow surging in his heart. “The Xia Clan has produced an extraordinary figure like Dongbo Xueying. I regret that back then, both I and the Witch God underestimated the threat he posed. Now he has risen, and no one can stop him.”

“He shall ascend as the Sovereign of the Material Plane in the Xia Realm, while our Monster Clan shall wane, perchance facing annihilation.” Elder Orland shut his eyes solemnly.

A deep sorrow.

A sense of helplessness.

Yet he knew clearly—the mortal world was destined to belong to the Xia Clan. His lineage had been defeated, utterly and completely!

…

In the distant Dark Abyss, the Great Demon God Darhao also sensed Dongbo Xueying’s divine ascension. After all, amidst the countless mortals of the Xia Clan, many devotees of malevolent deities and demonic gods still lurked in the shadows. Though the Demon God Cult had been obliterated, scattered remnants of its faithful remained concealed.

Now that Dongbo Xueying had fused with the Heart of the World, becoming the Lord of the Material Plane, he naturally possessed the ability to detect and eliminate all threats.

Yet for now, he chose to remain low-key and conceal his strength.

Moreover, those mortal fanatics posed little threat. Letting the Longshan Pavilion deal with them was sufficient; there was no need for him to act personally.

“He has become a god?” Beneath Darhao’s massive curved horns, his eyes gleamed with coldness. “A ten-thousand-mile Divine Sea? Indeed, he has become a god through a Second-Tier Divine Heart. Hmph… evolving a Second-Tier Divine Heart into a First-Tier is extremely difficult. Out of millions, barely one succeeds. However, he has cultivated for merely over two hundred years and already mastered three Second-Tier Divine Hearts, created his own secret techniques, and inherited the Crimson Stone Mountain legacy! It is estimated that within millions or even hundreds of thousands of years, he may ascend to the rank of First-Tier Divine Sovereign.”

“As for the Second-Tier Divine Sovereign? That will be difficult.” Darhao sneered.

Becoming a Divine Sovereign was indeed hard.

Yet in Darhao’s gaze, though Dongbo Xueying stood as a foe, he could not deny the youth’s formidable potential to ascend as a Divine Sovereign. But to breach the Second Tier? Without the tutelage of a supreme entity, such a feat bordered on impossibility. Even Wushen—despite his prodigious gifts—had required fewer than ten millennia to merge with the Heart of the World and claim dominion over the Material Plane. And still, he remained but a First-Tier Divine Sovereign.

…

After becoming a god.

Dongbo Xueying also hosted a celebration banquet at Snowstone Castle, where Chao Qing and many other Transcendents attended.

“Xueying,” Sikong Yang raised a bronze wine cup.

“Master Observer,” Dongbo Xueying smiled.

“Your cultivation is indeed extraordinary. You have already become a god, yet I cannot sense even a trace of your aura—not even the presence of divine power,” Sikong Yang marveled.

Dongbo Xueying smiled faintly.

His avatar had already gone to Crimson Stone Mountain, while the original body presiding over the banquet had not yet ascended to godhood, hence no divine aura. However, as the Lord of the Material Plane, within his own world, Dongbo Xueying could conceal his presence so thoroughly that even a Divine Sovereign could not see through his true strength.

“Congratulations. Back then, I saw your rise, but I never expected you to ascend to godhood faster than me,” Sikong Yang sighed, “I wonder if I can open my Divine Sea before my lifespan ends.”

Dongbo Xueying remained silent. Masters He Shan, Sikong Yang, and others all shared similar concerns. Becoming a god was truly difficult. Even with the rare treasures he provided, the chances of success remained low.

“Let us not linger on that matter. I came to ask you—do you truly not wish to ascend as the Emperor of the Empire?” Sikong Yang carefully wove a veil of silence around them, isolating all other sounds. “You shall be the Sovereign of the Material Plane. Should you take the throne, you would become the Eternal Emperor of the Xia people. Across the vast tapestry of our history, the Empire has passed through many hands, yet an Emperor has always reigned supreme.”

“No need,” Dongbo Xueying shook his head. “I have no interest in managing such matters.”

“And you don’t need to,” Sikong Yang replied. “This will benefit your Dongbo Clan.”

“My Dongbo Clan will no longer need to worry once I become the Lord of the Material Plane. Granting them more power at this point would not be a good thing,” Dongbo Xueying smiled.

“Alright, alright,” Sikong Yang nodded. “Then let me ask you—have you decided on a title? Now that you are a god, should the world still call you Dongbo Xueying?”

“A title?” Dongbo Xueying paused slightly.

He ascended with astonishing speed, still in the bloom of youth, having cultivated for less than a century. There was no pressing need for him to choose a title at that time. Then came his meteoric rise, followed by a hundred years of agony inflicted by the Witch God’s venom. Naturally, such matters slipped his mind. Without hesitation, he ventured into the depths of Crimsonstone Mountain. Upon his emergence, war erupted—only now, with peace restored and the Xia Clan beginning to rebuild from within, did Dongbo Xueying, the highest authority among them, finally have the opportunity to select his official title.

“I haven’t really thought about it,” Dongbo Xueying shrugged helplessly.

“You can use your surname,” Sikong Yang suggested. “Or your given name.”

“Then just call me Dongbo?” Dongbo Xueying asked.

Sikong Yang nodded. “Or how about ‘Dongbo Divine Emperor’? If you have no objection, I’ll inform Palace Master Chen and the others.”

“Fine,” Dongbo Xueying agreed.

“You really are decisive,” Sikong Yang sighed helplessly.

…

The news spread like wildfire. Dongbo Xueying now held a title akin to legendary figures such as the Divine Emperor Zi Lei, the Supreme Emperor Longshan, and the Supreme Emperor Chi Yun. Of course, in the hearts of countless Xia Clan Transcendents, Dongbo Xueying—who had reversed the tides of fate and slain three divine incarnations—was destined to shine as the most radiant figure in the annals of Xia Clan history.

And he shall ascend as the Sovereign of the Material Realm, standing as an eternal guardian over the Xia Clan.

…

Inside Crimson Stone Mountain.

Dongbo Xueying’s avatar was here, meeting with his two Divine Sovereign senior brothers. The three sat together, drinking and chatting casually. The avatar and the original body shared the same soul and body, making it impossible to distinguish between them.

“You’ve become a god?” Senior Brother Ge Bai, the thick-robed youth, smiled. “Which Divine Heart did you choose as your primary one?”

“Stellar,” Dongbo Xueying replied.

“Huh?” Both Ge Bai in his thick robe and the crimson-cloaked youth He Feiyun were surprised. “Why did you choose the Stellar Divine Heart? Shouldn’t you have chosen the Void Realm Divine Heart since you plan to fuse with the Heart of the World?”

Dongbo Xueying smiled. “Even without choosing the Void Realm Divine Heart, I am confident in fusing the Heart of the World! With three Second-Tier Divine Hearts, I can cross-reference them… I already have ideas on how to advance the Void Realm Divine Heart to the next stage. I feel more confident in evolving the Stellar Divine Heart into the Mixed Void Divine Heart, so I chose this path.”

He felt a bit guilty.

He had to conceal his mastery of the True Will of the World—and keep it hidden forever. Revealing that he had comprehended a First-Tier True Will would be tantamount to suicide.

“Sigh, you really should have discussed this with us before deciding,” Senior Brother Ge Bai shook his head. “Both the Mixed Void Divine Heart and the World Divine Heart are First-Tier Divine Hearts, balanced in many aspects, yet they differ slightly. The World Divine Heart excels in manipulating the world and can form a ‘World True Body,’ making it better for survival. The Mixed Void Divine Heart, though powerful, is more suited for combat… The path of cultivation is long. It is better to prioritize survival.”

“I am the Lord of the Material Plane. My original body will remain in my homeland. My avatar will travel outside. Even if it perishes, I can cultivate another. My survival ability is already strong enough,” Dongbo Xueying smiled.

Beside him, the crimson-cloaked youth He Feiyun nodded. “Junior Brother, when do you plan to go to the Divine Realm?”

“In over a thousand years,” Dongbo Xueying replied.

“So soon?” Both senior brothers were surprised. The crimson-cloaked youth quickly added, “Why not cultivate to become a Divine Sovereign first before heading to the Divine Realm? With your comprehension and talent, you should become a Divine Sovereign within a million years.”

“Ancestor Tianyu saved my wife,” Dongbo Xueying said. “He told me that in a little over a thousand years, there will be a grand event at the Blood Blade Divine Court, an opportunity to become a disciple of a mighty being. Since Ancestor said so, I think I should attend.”

“Ancestor Tianyu?”

Ge Bai and He Feiyun both nodded.

They had both begged Ancestor Tianyu to save Dongbo Xueying’s wife.

“Since Ancestor said so, then it’s good. The Divine Court’s Ten Thousand Flower Banquet gathers countless divine experts from the Divine Realm. Participating will greatly benefit you. Once you become a disciple of a mighty being, with their guidance, your progress will accelerate,” Senior Brother Ge Bai sighed. “Unfortunately, Master is already dead. Although you have become an Inner Disciple, you lack guidance.”

He Feiyun nodded. “The path of cultivation is arduous. Although my second senior brother and I have decent talent, without Master’s guidance, reaching even the First-Tier Divine Sovereign would be a struggle. With Master’s guidance, we advanced faster and are now both Second-Tier Divine Sovereigns. Brother Xueying, your talent surpasses ours. However, without guidance from a mighty being, even reaching the Divine Sovereign rank within a million years will be hard. Becoming a Second-Tier Divine Sovereign? The chances are slim. And becoming a Third-Tier Divine Sovereign? That would be a dream! Not to mention the Fourth-Tier Divine Sovereign, nearly equal to a mighty being.”

“Fourth-Tier Divine Sovereign?” Senior Brother Ge Bai’s eyes gleamed with admiration. “They are nearly on par with mighty beings. In their eyes, we are mere ants, easily wiped out in a single move.”

“Wipe us all out—in one move!” Crimson-cloaked He Feiyun shook his head.

The Fourth-Tier Divine Sovereigns were indeed terrifying.

In truth, they were already very close to mighty beings in cultivation, only unable to take that final step beyond the Divine Sovereign realm.

“They say those extraordinary ones who can comprehend First-Tier True Will as Transcendents and easily master First-Tier Divine Hearts are almost destined to become Fourth-Tier Divine Sovereigns,” Senior Brother Ge Bai sighed. “The gap is just too vast.”

“Such rare Transcendents with First-Tier True Will are born only once in an age in the entire Divine Realm and Abyss,” He Feiyun said. “And once they appear, mighty beings will rush to claim them as disciples.”

Beside them, Dongbo Xueying listened quietly, nodding obediently.

“Indeed, very impressive.”