Dongbo Xueying gazed at the bound figure of Venerable Huocheng within the shadowy cavern and chuckled, “In the Divine Realm, any World God with decent information networks knows of Venerable Huocheng.”
“Hahaha!” Though bound, Venerable Huocheng grinned proudly before suddenly furrowing his brow. “But how did a little fellow like you end up in the Ruin Domain?”
“I’m undergoing trials to join the Ruin Legion,” Dongbo Xueying replied.
“You?” Venerable Huocheng scoffed, shaking his head and causing his chains to clatter noisily.
“Redbeard!” A golden light descended, revealing a handsome golden-armored man who sneered, “Don’t underestimate young Dongbo. He’s already passed two trials and is now facing the final one. Once he succeeds, he’ll be one of us in the Ruin Legion. Weren’t you the one begging us to send your clone out? We can’t leave the Ruin Domain without special reasons, but Dongbo here is different—he’s a true living being who can freely enter and exit the Heartlake Island. Once he joins, he can take your clone with him.”
“A clone?” Dongbo Xueying looked at Venerable Huocheng in surprise.
The Venerable gave an awkward laugh, his already ruddy face flushing deeper beneath his thick red beard. “One of my clones ventured into Heartlake Island, got too bold, and landed in trouble—ending up imprisoned here! Then, while helping a friend in the Divine Realm, my true body was ambushed and perished. Now, I’m left with just this imprisoned body, unable to return. I’ve nurtured a new clone within my inner world, but these Ruin Legion folks refuse to release it, even though they’re only supposed to imprison one of my forms.”
“Hope you pass your trial, kid. Then you can help me out,” Venerable Huocheng said casually. “Though, honestly, I don’t have much faith. Aside from Pang Yi, no one’s ever succeeded in joining the Ruin Legion.”
“If I fail, can’t I still take your clone out?” Dongbo Xueying pressed.
If he could manage that, having a Venerable-level ally would make the Nine Suns Palace Master’s threats trivial.
“No chance,” Venerable Huocheng sighed. “I’m a high-profile prisoner. Only Ruin Legion soldiers can enter this cavern and approach me.”
“Ah.” Dongbo Xueying stepped forward, only to be blocked by a shimmering array of divine runes at the cavern’s entrance.
“I’ve been trapped here for 113.4 billion years. Pitiful, truly pitiful,” Venerable Huocheng lamented, though his tone betrayed no real sorrow.
Dongbo Xueying found the Venerable to be quite the eccentric. If he were imprisoned for so long, he doubted he’d be so cheerful.
“Kid, what’s your full name?” Venerable Huocheng asked.
“How long has it been since you contacted the outside world?” Dongbo Xueying countered instead of answering.
“Ages. No one can save me anyway. My master and Pang Yi have bad blood, so he won’t intervene. Even though he’s a Paragon, the Ruin Domain’s arrays and power were laid down by the Heartlake Island’s master. Not even he dares force his way in,” Venerable Huocheng said with a shrug. “At first, old friends checked in occasionally, but over time, contact dwindled. I eventually cut off all connections—only my master reaches me through karma now.”
Dongbo Xueying frowned. “Venerable Huocheng, your master is a Paragon? Who might that be?”
Paragons were few in number—like the Bloodblade Divine Emperor—yet none were known to be Venerable Huocheng’s master.
“My master is the ‘Primordial Master,’ the oldest Paragon in the Divine Realm and Abyss,” Venerable Huocheng said, reverence and a hint of fanaticism in his eyes.
“The oldest Paragon? Primordial Master?” Dongbo Xueying was baffled; he’d never heard of such a figure.
Venerable Huocheng smirked. “Not every Paragon seeks territory or fame, kid. The three most widely known in the Divine Realm are the scheming Island Lord of Spacetime, the domineering Bloodblade Divine Emperor, and the low-key Lord of All Gods. But beyond them, there are two who care for neither: my master, the Primordial Master—the first to ascend to Paragon after the Divine Realm’s birth—and ‘Empress Qianhe,’ the only female Paragon in existence.”
Dongbo Xueying’s mind flashed to a memory—a dignified, gentle woman seated beside his master during the Grand Flower Banquet, her presence surpassing even the Three Ancestors.
“So, five Paragons in the Divine Realm,” Dongbo Xueying mused.
“You’ll learn these things once you become a mighty figure or live long enough,” Venerable Huocheng said dismissively.
“And the Dark Abyss?”
“Just three there, no secrets.”
“Among the Primordial Master and Empress Qianhe, who’s the strongest in the Divine Realm?”
“Bloodblade Divine Emperor, no contest in direct combat.”
Dongbo Xueying nodded. “You asked for my name earlier—I’m Dongbo Xueying, a personal disciple of the Divine Emperor.”
Venerable Huocheng wasn’t surprised. Anyone who’d passed two Ruin Legion trials had to be exceptional.
“Showing off to me, eh?” The Venerable chuckled good-naturedly—after all, he needed the kid’s help. “Focus on your training. Don’t waste time; break through that trial soon. I’m counting on you! Save me, and I’ll owe you a life debt—one I’ll never forget. Once I’m out, I’ll give you something massive.”
“Massive?”
“Though it might not be much use to you—you’re still weak. It’d be more valuable to your master,” Venerable Huocheng admitted. “But once I’m free, I’ll be your sworn brother. Need anything? Just ask.”
After eons of imprisonment, the chance of freedom was priceless. He’d once hoped Pang Yi might help, but their masters’ feud made it impossible. No one else in all the Divine Realm or Abyss could break him out.
“I’ll do my best,” Dongbo Xueying promised.
Helping such a powerhouse meant reaping immense karma—of course he’d try.
—
After hours of conversation, learning countless secrets of the Divine Realm and Abyss, Dongbo Xueying resumed his journey through the Ruin Domain, questioning his heart and dissecting his motives.
Years passed.
As the ten-thousand-year deadline neared its final month, Dongbo Xueying sat cross-legged by the lakeshore, his anxiety overwhelming.
“With just over a month left, my will still can’t break the seal. Hope is slim.” His restless body finally stilled as resignation settled in.
“Fine. If I fail, so be it.”
“At least I tried for Senior Mo Xue.” The old monarch had long since reassured him—he’d lived long enough, and Dongbo Xueying had done more than enough.
Accepting potential failure, his turmoil vanished, replaced by calm clarity.
A tremor ran through him as realization struck.
“My worries—for my homeland, children, wife, cultivation, transcendence—they’ve clouded me. But even the worst outcome? My children have lived tens of thousands of years, my wife even longer. Compared to mortals, they’ve had abundant time.”
“I’ve lived gloriously. What mortal could claim such a life? So what if I don’t become a Paragon? A hundred million years is no small span.”
Gratitude replaced fear—for his family, his experiences, the richness of existence.
“Boom—”
Unshackled by doubt, his mind crystallized into pure, fearless focus.
Within his sea of consciousness, the miniature “Dongbo Xueying” began glowing, its form turning translucent—a radiant epiphany.
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