Chapter 545: Success in the Fourth Transformation

Just after receiving the information about *Ten Directions Annihilation Flame*, Dongbo Xueying realized that this trial was indeed extremely difficult. Currently, he had only mastered three first-grade divine hearts, and his comprehension of the laws of heaven and earth was far inferior to that of a Fourth Heaven Realm God. However, since this trial existed, there must be hope.

“One of the Three Ancestors, Pang Yi, managed to become a captain back then. At the very least, I should be able to become a soldier,” Dongbo Xueying silently encouraged himself. Yet, he also knew that many mighty figures had come before him and failed the trial.

The first six layers of *Ten Directions Annihilation Flame* were completed by Dongbo Xueying in one go.

His own realm was already quite high—he had even reached the third transformation in supreme techniques—and he had studied and comprehended the massive formation composed of hundreds of millions of meteorites on the Lakeheart Island. Based on this, he had refined his spear art, *Annihilation*. His foundation was extremely solid, and the first six layers posed no difficulty at all.

But the seventh layer stood before Dongbo Xueying like an insurmountable chasm.

“Completely clueless.”

“How am I supposed to comprehend this?”

Dongbo Xueying buried himself in deep contemplation. His true self in the Xia Clan’s world, the white-robed Dongbo Xueying in Red Rock Mountain, also pondered under a hundredfold time acceleration. At times, his state of mind grew restless—after all, the feeling of having no leads at all was dreadful. In cultivation, seeing even the slightest progress usually fuels motivation. But being stuck without any direction truly affected one’s mental state.

To clear his mind, Dongbo Xueying even turned to studying the fourth transformation of the third chapter of *Taihao*! He also examined the numerous formation diagrams left behind by the sealed senior, ‘Venerable Chenyun,’ and occasionally recalled the profound mysteries of the Lakeheart Island’s guardian formation composed of hundreds of millions of meteorites…

“Stones from other hills may serve to polish the jade.”

If he couldn’t find a way to comprehend the technique himself, he would seek a breakthrough from these more profound supreme techniques and formation diagrams.

A thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.

Within Dongbo Xueying’s inner world.

“Rumble~~~”

High in the vast sky, fierce winds howled as countless white clouds surged and transformed. The *Taihao Power* composing these clouds underwent a metamorphosis, converting into a more resilient, powerful, and domineering force. Every wisp of Taihao Power carried an edge that could make even a Fourth Heaven Realm God pale.

“Sigh.” A massive illusory head appeared in midair beside him, bearing Dongbo Xueying’s likeness. He gazed at the churning clouds. “No progress in the secret art, yet I’ve pushed *Taihao* to the fourth transformation.”

Indeed, his Taihao Power had reached the fourth transformation!

“Son-in-law, is this the power of a supreme technique?” A figure flew up from below, approaching the giant illusory head—none other than the white-haired, white-bearded Monarch Moxue.

“It’s a supreme technique bestowed by my master,” Dongbo Xueying replied.

“Incredible, truly incredible. Even from this distance, I can sense the sheer dominance and indestructible might of this power,” Monarch Moxue praised. “In terms of inner power alone, you’ve far surpassed me.”

“Father-in-law, this Taihao Power is the only thing I can rely on. In terms of realm, I’m still far behind you,” Dongbo Xueying shook his head.

With the fourth transformation achieved, his strength was now roughly comparable to Emperor Qiu Yu—approaching the level of a mighty figure. But compared to his father-in-law, who could truly rival mighty figures, he still fell short.

The gap between the Third Heaven and Fourth Heaven was simply too vast. Fourth Heaven Realm Gods had mastered at least four first-grade divine hearts, some even five or six… approaching complete mastery of the laws of heaven and earth.

Monarch Moxue’s inner power was nothing special, but his realm was so high that he still surpassed Dongbo Xueying by a significant margin.

“You’ve gained such a boost in strength, yet you don’t seem excited at all. Is it because of the trial to join the Annihilation Legion?” Monarch Moxue asked.

“Yes,” Dongbo Xueying nodded. “Reaching the fourth transformation is good, but I was already close to it—just a matter of time. But if I fail the trial, I’ll be forcibly expelled. If I fall into the hands of the Nine Suns Palace Master and his ilk… Well, without obtaining the True Divine Artifact, they would never spare you, Father-in-law.”

If his father-in-law died, this entire endeavor would be a complete failure.

“Regardless, the True Divine Artifact must never fall into their hands,” Monarch Moxue said gravely. “True Divine Artifacts are exceedingly rare. For me to have stumbled upon one was already an immense stroke of luck. As a man on the brink of death, even if I somehow escaped and successfully reincarnated, I’d only be prolonging my life by a few more years. I have no confidence whatsoever in transcending to become a mighty figure. At my age, I’ve long since stopped fearing death. The True Divine Artifact must remain with my daughter for her to study and comprehend. Even you, Xueying, can benefit from it—it will greatly aid your cultivation.”

“Understood.” Dongbo Xueying nodded. He knew his father-in-law would never hand over the True Divine Artifact to the Nine Suns Palace Master. Besides, the artifact was already in Jing Qiu’s possession.

“But passing the trial is difficult. This is only the first stage,” Dongbo Xueying sighed.

“What exactly is this first trial? Tell me about it,” Monarch Moxue said. “Perhaps I can offer some advice.” He had known Dongbo Xueying was undergoing the trial and thus hadn’t dared disturb him.

Dongbo Xueying’s eyes lit up. That’s right—since he was stuck, why not consult his father-in-law? His father-in-law’s realm far surpassed his own, rivaling that of mighty figures. Moreover, his vast experience and insight might provide the guidance he needed.

“Here’s the situation,” Dongbo Xueying explained. “The Annihilation Legion provided me with a Realm God-level secret art called *Ten Directions Annihilation Flame*—one of the most advanced of its kind, with an extremely high difficulty. It’s divided into ten layers…”

He briefly described the art and the obstacles he was facing.

Monarch Moxue listened and nodded slowly. “The trial is indeed harsh. To demand that a Third Heaven Realm God master a level normally reserved for Fourth Heaven Realm Gods…”

“I’m completely stuck right now,” Dongbo Xueying admitted helplessly.

“Your realm is insufficient—there’s no way around that unless you advance to the Fourth Heaven. But if you did, the trial’s difficulty would likely escalate accordingly,” Monarch Moxue said.

“True.” Dongbo Xueying nodded. He was well aware of that.

“If you insist on forcing your way through, there’s only one method I know of—and it’s far from easy,” Monarch Moxue stroked his beard.

Dongbo Xueying’s giant illusory face brightened with excitement. “Father-in-law, please elaborate.” His father-in-law truly had vast knowledge. He had foolishly struggled for a thousand years without ever thinking to ask him.

“Your problem lies in your insufficient realm. Clearly, *Ten Directions Annihilation Flame* has extremely high demands across multiple aspects of comprehension,” Monarch Moxue said. “Given that, the only way is to ‘break through with a single point.'”

“Break through with a single point?” Dongbo Xueying listened intently.

“All laws and mysteries have core essences. Even the laws of heaven and earth are fundamentally composed of first-grade divine hearts,” Monarch Moxue explained. “First, analyze this secret art from its different essences—examine it from the perspectives of the World Divine Heart, the Extreme Point Divine Heart, and the Chaos Hole Divine Heart. For instance, observe how the World Divine Heart is applied in this art, or how the Extreme Point Divine Heart is utilized… By dissecting it from these three angles, the difficulty of mastering this art should decrease, giving you a chance.”

“Break through with a single point? Analyze it separately?” Dongbo Xueying’s eyes gleamed. That might work.

“I’ll give it a try.”

The giant illusory head smiled. “Thank you, Father-in-law.”

“Hahaha, I merely pointed you in a direction. The rest is up to you,” Monarch Moxue said.

Yet Dongbo Xueying was exhilarated. Although his master, the Bloodblade Divine Emperor, had guided him in comprehending the laws of heaven and earth and transcending to become a mighty figure, he had never instructed him on secret arts to enhance his power. From the experiences of the Legion Commander, it seemed that obsessively pursuing power was unwise.

Both the Legion Commander and the Bamboo Mountain Manor Lord had possessed extraordinary strength as Fourth Heaven Realm Gods, yet both remained stuck at that level.

However, many cultivators practiced supreme techniques—like the Bloodblade Divine Emperor’s two direct disciples, ‘Azure Monarch’ and ‘Ancient Burial Divine Emperor’—and still achieved the status of mighty figures.

This proved one thing: practicing supreme techniques wasn’t inherently harmful. Only an excessive, single-minded pursuit of power might lead to trouble.

“Right now, I’m still far too weak to worry about such things,” Dongbo Xueying thought. He wasn’t even a Fourth Heaven Realm God yet—there was still a long way to go.