Dongbo Xueying and Yu Jingqiu were flying at high speed over the frigid Heartlake Island. Upon closer inspection, the island was vast, dotted with countless caverns.
“My father entered a region quite far from here,” Yu Jingqiu said. “We’ll go in from here and gradually make our way toward his location.”
“Agreed,” Dongbo Xueying nodded, then suddenly frowned as he glanced into the distance.
Two streaks of light were rapidly approaching.
“Hahaha!”
“Isn’t that His Highness Dongbo?”
The two figures descended from the sky in an instant—both were Fourth Heaven World Gods with overwhelming auras. One was a plump figure clad in a violet robe, with two antennae protruding from his head. The other was a more typical human World God, carrying a massive black ruler on his back, dressed in black robes, and exuding an icy demeanor. They both approached, with the violet-robed man eagerly speaking first: “Your Highness Dongbo, I visited you not long ago. Do you remember me?”
“Emperor Qiu Yu?” Dongbo Xueying smiled. “I didn’t expect to run into you here on Heartlake Island.”
“The island is vast, so meeting like this must be fate. Brother Fu Qiong and I spotted you from afar and rushed over immediately,” the chubby Emperor Qiu Yu said.
The cold, black-robed man beside him, Mountain Master Fu Qiong, gave a slight bow. “Your Highness.”
“Mountain Master Fu Qiong, I’ve long heard of your formidable reputation,” Dongbo Xueying replied courteously.
“And who might this be?” Emperor Qiu Yu turned to the silver-haired woman beside Dongbo, who wore a mask. Her aura unmistakably marked her as a Fourth Heaven World God. Given how few such beings existed across the Divine Realm and Abyss, they were usually acquainted with one another.
“This is my good friend, the Nine Swords Empress,” Dongbo Xueying introduced.
Yu Jingqiu shot him a sidelong glance.
“Greetings, Nine Swords,” the two men said, though inwardly puzzled—where had this Nine Swords Empress come from?
“Your Highness, are the two of you planning to venture deeper into Heartlake Island?” Qiu Yu pressed.
“Indeed. Walking the line between life and death tempers the Dao-heart,” Dongbo Xueying replied.
“If Your Highness doesn’t mind, we’d like to join you,” Qiu Yu and Mountain Master Fu Qiong proposed, clearly having planned this in advance.
Dongbo Xueying and Yu Jingqiu exchanged glances.
They were about to enter an unfamiliar cavern, fraught with unpredictable dangers. Their own strength might not suffice, whereas Emperor Qiu Yu and Mountain Master Fu Qiong had far more experience—especially Qiu Yu, whose power was profound, likely on par with Senior Brother Hui Ming. Their assistance would be invaluable.
“Hahaha, Brother Qiu Yu, we’d be honored to have you join us,” Dongbo Xueying said. “However, we plan to enter through that cavern ahead. Would you two be willing to follow?”
“That one?” Qiu Yu and Mountain Master Fu Qiong stared at the cavern in surprise.
Mountain Master Fu Qiong frowned. “Your Highness, very few mighty figures have entered through that cavern. We’d have a better chance in more familiar ones.”
“But overly familiar caverns offer fewer opportunities for fortune,” Dongbo Xueying shook his head. “I’ve decided to proceed here. If you two aren’t willing, we’ll have to part ways.”
“This…”
Mountain Master Fu Qiong and Emperor Qiu Yu exchanged glances and quickly reached a decision.
Their reason for joining was to forge a bond with Dongbo Xueying. After all, shared peril was the fastest way to build camaraderie.
“Fu Qiong, let’s accompany His Highness Dongbo. Even if we lose this avatar, forming a close relationship with him could prove invaluable in the future, should he reach the level of a Venerable,” Qiu Yu persuaded. The strength of a Venerable—equivalent to the legendary ‘Three Ancestors.’
The Three Ancestors were merely the pinnacle of the Bloodblade Divine Court.
Beyond them were others like Qing Jun and the North Profound Palace Master, who remained unaffiliated with any faction, yet were revered as Venerables.
“Very well,” Mountain Master Fu Qiong agreed. “Besides, if His Highness dares to enter, he must have some plan or advantage.”
“Perhaps he’s obtained a secret treasure map,” Qiu Yu speculated via mental transmission.
Once they made their decision, Dongbo Xueying and Yu Jingqiu were pleasantly surprised. With two powerful allies, their chances of success had improved. Their journey was driven by sheer determination to rescue Emperor Mo Xue, though the dangers of Heartlake Island’s ruins made their odds of success less than ten percent.
Yet, no matter how slim the hope, they had come prepared for failure.
“I’ll scout ahead. I possess a secret art—my eyes can pierce through illusions,” Emperor Qiu Yu declared, his pupils deepening into swirling abysses.
“Good.”
Dongbo Xueying, Yu Jingqiu, Emperor Qiu Yu, and Mountain Master Fu Qiong—all formidable in their own right—quickly coordinated.
The four of them cautiously entered the cavern.
—
The cavern stretched endlessly into darkness.
Dongbo Xueying and his companions advanced carefully, occasionally passing branching tunnels.
“Careful—there’s something terrifying in that side passage,” Emperor Qiu Yu warned via mental transmission. All four wore artifacts that shielded them from detection, but the perils of Heartlake Island defied complete evasion.
“Hmm?” Dongbo Xueying and the others glanced into the side tunnel as they passed.
Deep within, an ice sculpture stood, its crimson eyes fixed on their direction—or rather, fixed on the intersection.
A chill ran down their spines.
“Move quickly,” they urged one another.
Moments after they left, cracks spiderwebbed across the ice sculpture.
With a sharp *crack*, the ice shattered, revealing a towering warrior clad in black armor. A single horn jutted from his forehead, his face framed by yellow fur, and his crimson eyes gleamed as he smirked at the intersection. “Too long… Finally, outsiders pass by my domain. Hehehe… No need to rush. I’ll savor this. Let them struggle a while longer before I end them.”
With a whisper, the black-armored warrior touched the icy wall and melted into it, vanishing without a trace.
—
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Emperor Qiu Yu muttered, his eyes scanning the surroundings with a grim expression. “Your Highness, are you certain about this path? We have no experience with this cavern. Who knows what lies ahead?”
“We press forward,” Dongbo Xueying insisted.
The safer routes were already under the watch of beings like the Withered Tree Matriarch.
Emperor Qiu Yu grumbled inwardly. *I’ve already detected three dangers, yet Dongbo Xueying and that so-called Nine Swords Empress haven’t noticed a single one! Do they really have no plan at all? This is a disaster.*
Thanks to his secret arts, Emperor Qiu Yu excelled at detecting threats. His eyes perceived the subtle movements of the world’s laws, and even the faintest disturbances in the distance triggered his vigilance.
“Beware! A powerful force is closing in fast. We must flee!” Emperor Qiu Yu surged forward, his World God energy enveloping the others as their speed skyrocketed to nearly six hundred thousand miles per second. Dongbo Xueying and Yu Jingqiu were stunned—even at their best, they couldn’t match such velocity, let alone while carrying three people.
Emperor Qiu Yu’s reputation was well-earned.
**Boom!**
Behind them, a figure tore through the ice, charging into the cavern. A glimpse revealed a black-armored, four-legged creature—before it vanished into the cavern walls once more.
“It’s gaining on us—fast!” Emperor Qiu Yu urged, pushing their speed to the limit. “It moves through the mountain in a straight line, unimpeded. It’ll catch us in moments. Prepare for battle!”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage