Chapter 537: Father, ‘King Mo Xue’

Though it seemed slow, in reality, Dongbo Xueying had only experienced a single battle at the Bloodfire Gate.

“Xueying!” Jing Qiu was overwhelmed with emotion. She had thought she was the only survivor of their group.

“I’m here. Where are you?” Dongbo Xueying immediately sent a message, pressing for details.

“I just obtained a True God artifact,” Jing Qiu replied.

“Good. Stay where you are and wait for me. I’ll come to you right away,” Dongbo Xueying responded swiftly. “When we were separated earlier, I took a gamble and gained some rewards. Now, in the ordinary regions of the Heartlake Island ruins, I won’t be attacked.”

Whoosh!

Dongbo Xueying advanced at his maximum speed, encountering no obstacles along the way. No black-armored monsters came to ambush him, yet he remained anxious, fearing that his wife, Jing Qiu, might be attacked during this time.

“Thank goodness.”

A short while later, Dongbo Xueying finally spotted the silver-haired woman in the distance, her face concealed behind a mask, exuding an icy aura. He couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

“Xueying!” Jing Qiu called out, her voice brimming with joy.

“Jing Qiu, I’ll send you outside first,” Dongbo Xueying said quickly. “Find a place near the edge of Heartlake Island to stay temporarily.”

“Oh?” Jing Qiu was puzzled.

Dongbo Xueying smiled faintly and proceeded to explain everything in detail—the circumstances of the Bloodfire Gate, the benefits he had gained from passing the trial, and more.

After listening, Jing Qiu couldn’t help but beam with delight. “No longer an intruder, but a guest of Heartlake Island? That makes things much safer here.”

“Exactly,” Dongbo Xueying nodded. “Originally, I wasn’t confident about saving your father, but now I have a sliver of hope. Still, none of this would be possible without this True God artifact. It’s far too precious to risk losing. I’ll escort you outside the island first—stay there while I go alone to retrieve your father.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Jing Qiu nodded in agreement.

Logically, she understood this was the best course of action. Her presence would only hinder rather than help.

“Then let’s go.” With a wave of his hand, Dongbo Xueying stored his wife within his inner world.

A World God’s inner world was vast, capable of receiving souls, reconstructing physical bodies, and even, upon reaching the level of a Paragon, giving birth to life and sustaining entire civilizations.

Whoosh!

Immediately, Dongbo Xueying began his journey back.

For safety, he retraced his original path—a more secluded route where the likes of the Nine Suns Palace Master and the Withered Tree Matriarch were unlikely to set up surveillance.

…

“Whew.” He emerged from the same cave entrance he had entered earlier.

The outside world was blanketed in frost.

In the distance stretched an endless expanse of water.

With another wave of his hand, Jing Qiu appeared beside him.

“We made it out so easily,” Jing Qiu said, looking around with relief. “I was worried the return journey would be dangerous.”

“Earlier, we encountered Emperor Qiu Yu and his group here, but they…” Dongbo Xueying shook his head slightly. “At least now we can ensure a safe exit. We’ll take their Bloodforged Divine Weapons and other treasures back to minimize their losses. By the way, Jing Qiu, find a secluded spot nearby to settle for now.”

“Mm.” Jing Qiu nodded.

Crossing the water layer would take too long, and doing so alone would be perilous for her. It was best to remain on the island’s outskirts for the time being.

Soon.

Deep within a towering mountain, Jing Qiu summoned a frost-constructed dwelling with her World God power, shielding it from all rule-based detection.

“Heartlake Island is unimaginably vast. The number of Paragons and Four-Heaven World Gods here is minuscule. The odds of anyone passing by this spot are slim. Even if they do, they can’t descend into a World God’s domain, and my barrier blocks all rule-based detection. No one will find me,” Jing Qiu declared confidently.

“Good.” Dongbo Xueying handed over the treasures left behind by Emperor Qiu Yu and his group, including the Annihilation Stone Essence, to his wife. However, he kept the Crimson Cloud Spear and the Ink Talisman with him—the former enhanced his combat prowess, while the latter, a reward from the trial, might still prove useful on the island.

“I’ll head back now,” Dongbo Xueying said. “Contact your father immediately and have him rendezvous with me.”

“Alright.” Jing Qiu’s expression turned uneasy. “Be careful. The Nine Suns Palace Master, the Withered Tree Matriarch, and the other three are undoubtedly tracking my father through karma. He’s been using the same method to keep his distance. If you meet up with him and attempt to return, you’ll be in danger too.”

“Don’t worry. The most important treasures are already here with you,” Dongbo Xueying reassured her with a smile.

The Nine Suns Palace Master and his four companions were either Paragons or Four-Heaven World Gods on par with them.

The Snowvault Monarch was also a match for a Paragon.

All of them were masters of karma manipulation.

Through the threads of karma, they could roughly determine each other’s locations. This was precisely why the Nine Suns Palace Master’s group struggled to capture the Snowvault Monarch—he sensed their approach and deliberately ventured deeper into the island. The labyrinthine cave system further complicated their pursuit, as the winding tunnels constantly diverted them from their target.

“I’m off.” Dongbo Xueying flashed a grin before darting away.

Jing Qiu watched his retreating figure, her silver hair fluttering in the wind, silently praying.

She hoped—desperately—that this time, her husband would succeed in bringing her father back safely.

…

A white-haired, white-bearded elder in black robes lounged casually atop a protruding ice boulder. Through his mastery of karma, he could perceive countless threads stretching into the void, connecting him to various directions. One particularly thick thread extended toward a region billions of miles away, though its endpoint was obscured by a chaotic haze, preventing further scrutiny.

The Snowvault Monarch knew this obscurity was due to the area’s resistance to all rule-based detection.

“Hmph. Trying to chase me?”

“I’ve cultivated for countless years and honed my karma techniques. Heartlake Island’s layout is also profoundly intricate. Catching me won’t be so easy,” the Snowvault Monarch sneered. He glanced around—the hollow mountain chamber he occupied had eight tunnels branching out in different directions. A faint smile tugged at his lips. “I, Mo Xue, have never ventured this deep into Heartlake Island before.”

None of the intelligence he had gathered contained any records of this place.

It was simply too remote.

Locations like these were typically explored only by beings at the level of the Three Ancestors—or even True God Overlords. The Snowvault Monarch had only ended up here because he had thrown caution to the wind in his desperate flight.

“Father.” Jing Qiu’s voice reached him through a message.

The Snowvault Monarch’s face brightened with joy. Nothing pleased him more than knowing his eldest daughter had successfully reincarnated, regained her memories, and even become a Four-Heaven World God. This filled him with immense satisfaction—even if he died now, he would have no regrets. What delighted him even more was that his daughter, who had once scorned men in her past life, had married a young man from the mortal world before even ascending to godhood.

And this young man, with his extraordinary talent, had been taken in as a personal disciple by Bloodblade the God Emperor.

He was happy—truly happy. Even death held no fear for him now. Having lived for countless eons, the Snowvault Monarch had long since accepted the impermanence of life. That was why he had risked everything to enter Heartlake Island’s ruins, even if it meant antagonizing the Nine Suns Palace Master’s faction for the sake of a True God artifact.

If he could secure this artifact for his daughter, it would be perfect. With it, her chances of becoming a Paragon would skyrocket. And with such a formidable husband by her side, she would undoubtedly surpass him—her father—and achieve true transcendence.

“My dear, what is it?” The Snowvault Monarch replied with relaxed warmth.

“Father, I’ve already obtained the True God artifact and am now safely outside Heartlake Island,” Jing Qiu informed him.

The Snowvault Monarch was both shocked and overjoyed.

She had succeeded?

“Xueying is currently inside the island, preparing to rendezvous with you. Tell me your approximate location so I can relay it to him,” Jing Qiu continued.

“He’s coming to retrieve me?” The Snowvault Monarch frowned. “My dear, don’t trouble yourselves. I’m in the deepest reaches of Heartlake Island—it’s far too dangerous for Dongbo Xueying. You two youngsters shouldn’t take such risks. Leave with your husband at once.”