Dongbo Xueying retrieved four items from the bracelet—objects that stood out among the more common treasures like divine crystals stored within.
The four items were an axe, a sharp fragment, a black whip, and a golden book.
“The axe and this whip are both top-tier weapons at the World Deity level, and their forging techniques are strikingly similar,” Dongbo Xueying observed after a brief inspection. The divine runes on both the axe and the whip were ancient and unique, unlike anything he had encountered before arriving at the Heartlake Island. Strictly speaking, they resembled the crimson bracelet in craftsmanship, each carrying a faint trace of spacetime essence.
“The axe, the whip, and the crimson bracelet—their creator must have been a master of spacetime. And in the entire Divine Realm and Abyss, the one most renowned for mastery over spacetime is none other than the Island Master of Spacetime.” Dongbo Xueying pondered carefully, yet he still couldn’t deduce the identity of the gray-robed corpse before him. It was as if this mighty figure had appeared out of nowhere.
Casually, he picked up the sharp fragment.
The fragment was dark red, adorned with archaic patterns, and exuded a vast, tranquil aura that inexplicably calmed Dongbo Xueying’s mind.
“This is no ordinary object, though its purpose eludes me. Given that it’s just a fragment, could it be a remnant of a True Divine Artifact?” he mused silently before setting it aside and turning his attention to the final item.
Holding the thick golden book, Dongbo Xueying flipped it open to reveal ancient script. As his consciousness brushed against the text—
Boom!
A flood of information surged into his mind.
“I, the Venerable Chenyun.”
“The crimson bracelet, the axe, and the whip—all were forged by my own hand. Regrettably, limited by materials, they are merely World Deity artifacts. As for that fragment, I stumbled upon it by chance, yet its purpose remains unknown to this day.”
“Consider these my gifts to you, the one who comes after me. I, Chenyun, have devoted myself to arduous cultivation, leaving me with few treasures. I beg your forgiveness.”
“My reason for bestowing these upon you is a single request!”
“If, in the future, you encounter ‘Venerable Qingyuan,’ please deliver a book to him. Should fate deny such a meeting, so be it.”
“Qingyuan, the task you entrusted to me is done. Alas, I underestimated the perils of Heartlake Island and will never see you again. A profound regret!”
Only a few sentences.
What followed were intricate arrays—three hundred and twenty-five diagrams in total, each of profound complexity.
Dongbo Xueying held the book in silence.
He could sense the deep regret in the dead man’s words—a final message left at death’s door.
“Venerable Chenyun? Venerable Qingyuan?”
“Could they be existences at the Venerable level?” Dongbo Xueying pondered. During his time with Emperor Qiu Yu and others, he had learned that mighty figures were also called ‘True Gods,’ broadly categorized into three tiers: ordinary True Gods, True God Venerables, and True God Sovereigns. Figures like his master and the Island Master of Spacetime belonged to the Sovereign tier.
“Venerables are rare even across the Divine Realm and Abyss. Why, then, have I never heard of these two?” he wondered inwardly. “Moreover, wouldn’t Venerable Chenyun have means of communication? Why leave a message in a book at death’s door?”
Typically, communication was conducted through messaging techniques—even across countless worlds via causal connections.
Leaving a message in a book was an oddity.
…
After studying the items for a while, Dongbo Xueying stored them away. He gazed at the serene, cross-legged corpse of the gray-robed man before extending a hand. The power of heaven and earth swiftly gathered, forming earth and stone that encased the body entirely. Since the man was dead, it was only right to bury him.
“A powerhouse like this surely had clones. Yet he died here, even leaving a message—likely indicating his true self and all clones perished,” Dongbo Xueying mused, eyeing the freshly made grave. “Heartlake Island lives up to its reputation as one of the most ancient and perilous ruins in the Divine Realm and Abyss. Its dangers exceed imagination, possibly harboring methods to annihilate both clones and true selves.”
Even a figure like Bloodblade Divine Emperor could, when slaying a mighty being, transmit attacks across vast distances via causal links to strike another body of the target, eradicating them entirely.
Unless they hid within a Material World.
The rules of Material Worlds were designed to protect native lifeforms—the stronger the external force, the more it was resisted or repelled. Even a Sovereign’s attack, delivered through an established oath, could only kill a Three Heavens World Deity. Without such an oath, the limit was Two Heavens.
In the Divine Realm and Abyss, slaying ordinary mighty beings was trivial for figures like Bloodblade Divine Emperor. This underscored the formidable nature of Material World rules.
“The dangers of Heartlake Island may surpass even my master’s capabilities. I must not grow complacent,” Dongbo Xueying reflected. “Reverence is warranted. The protection of Material Worlds is not omnipotent.”
His encounter with Emperor Tianyun’s corpse and the colossal array of meteorites—a formation rivaling Material World rules in grandeur—had shaken his belief in the absolute safety of such protections.
“Fortunately, I am a guest of Heartlake Island. As long as I don’t court death recklessly, I won’t be so unlucky.”
Dongbo Xueying glanced at the grave.
“‘A profound regret that we shall never meet again.’ Were these two Venerables lovers or kin?” he wondered silently.
“The path of cultivation was never easy. Exploring ruins may bring rewards, but dangers lurk as well,” Dongbo Xueying sighed.
A suspected True God Venerable had met his end here, just like that.
Whoosh.
Dongbo Xueying pressed onward.
…
As the distance between him and the Snowviolet Monarch dwindled, Dongbo Xueying began communicating with his father-in-law through his wife, Yu Jingqiu. The Snowviolet Monarch wasn’t stationary—he, too, was evading pursuers, constantly on the move. Yet, given the extreme depths and dangers of their location, their progress was slow.
Thirty billion miles, ten billion miles, five billion miles, one billion miles…
The gap between them narrowed steadily.
“I took a wrong turn—this path leads to a dead end.” Despite knowing they were drawing closer, numerous obstacles forced him to detour extensively.
“No rush, no rush.”
The Snowviolet Monarch stood in a vast, ice-sealed plaza, gazing into the distance as he waited. Simultaneously, he monitored the positions of the Nine Suns Palace Master and others, evading them while deliberately closing in on Dongbo Xueying.
Whoosh.
His eyes brightened as a streak of light cut through the sky before landing on the plaza—a black-clad young man lightly dusted with frost.
The Snowviolet Monarch stroked his long white beard, grinning broadly. He had watched Dongbo Xueying compete in the Ten Thousand Flowers Banquet back when the latter was merely a Deity. Now, the young man wielded the combat power of a Four Heavens World Deity.
“My dear son-in-law,” the Snowviolet Monarch boomed heartily, his voice echoing across the plaza.
Dongbo Xueying bowed respectfully. “Xueying pays his respects to Father-in-law.”
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