The gifts could wait. After Dongbo Xueying received the scroll listing the presents, he immediately went to meet Senior Brother Huiming and Patriarch Chihuo.
Upon entering the garden, he saw Senior Brother Huiming and Patriarch Chihuo sitting together, chatting casually.
“Senior Brother Huiming, Patriarch,” Dongbo Xueying greeted them with a smile as he approached.
“Xueying, take a seat,” Patriarch Chihuo said.
Dongbo Xueying sat down and turned to Senior Brother Huiming. “By the way, Senior Brother, I don’t know much about Patriarch Black Demon, but if there’s an opportunity, we should set up a plan to eliminate both his true body and his avatars in one fell swoop. If we act, we must ensure nothing is left behind.”
Huiming shook his head. “Master was like a father to me. How could I forget his grudge? But Patriarch Black Demon is far too cunning and cautious. Ever since you became the Divine Emperor’s personal disciple, one of his avatars has permanently resided on the Spacetime Island. What can we do about that?”
“He’s been staying on Spacetime Island all this time?” Dongbo Xueying was taken aback.
Spacetime Island was the domain of the Spacetime Island Lord—his stronghold, meticulously fortified over countless years, filled with dangers. Even someone as powerful as the Bloodblade Divine Emperor would have to prepare for the loss of an avatar if he dared to invade.
“Is there any way to lure his true body out?” Dongbo Xueying asked. Patriarch Black Demon wasn’t particularly strong, and if it came to a direct confrontation, Xueying was confident he could kill him.
“No, it’s impossible to lure him out,” Huiming said with a sigh.
“Haha, absolutely impossible,” Patriarch Chihuo chimed in. “Xueying, you’ve never dealt with Black Demon before. He’s cunning, treacherous, and paranoid about his own survival. The moment you became the Divine Emperor’s personal disciple—back when you were only a Second Heaven World God—he immediately moved one of his avatars to Spacetime Island. Logically, his cultivation grounds were already within the Spacetime Island Lord’s territory, and the Island Lord could reach them in an instant. But he still chose to relocate to the island itself.”
Dongbo Xueying frowned.
“Have you noticed something else?” Patriarch Chihuo continued. “After you became the Divine Emperor’s disciple, he never once attacked you—or even your wife and children.”
“Yes,” Dongbo Xueying nodded.
“He looks down on me and Huiming, but he fears you,” Patriarch Chihuo said, shaking his head. “When you first displayed your power under the Divine Emperor’s tutelage, you were already a Second Heaven World God. As a Material World Lord, he had no chance to eliminate you. He could only watch as you grew stronger and stronger… So he chose not to provoke you at all, avoiding any schemes.”
“He’s afraid of angering you, afraid of making your killing intent even stronger,” Patriarch Chihuo chuckled. “To be honest, you never had any emotional connection with Patriarch Reddust, and your desire to kill Black Demon isn’t that intense either. Am I right?”
Dongbo Xueying paused, then nodded in admission.
Indeed.
He had never even met Patriarch Reddust. In fact, if Reddust hadn’t thrown the Redstone Mountain into the Xia Clan’s world, the Witch God and the Great Demon God wouldn’t have targeted it. The Xia Clan wouldn’t have suffered so many calamities, Xueying wouldn’t have been poisoned by the Six Curses of Ghosts, and his wife wouldn’t have nearly died… So, his feelings toward Reddust were complicated.
At most, Dongbo Xueying acknowledged the debt of gratitude.
As for killing Patriarch Black Demon—beyond the karmic ties, the main reason was Black Demon’s own vile nature. More than half of Xueying’s killing intent stemmed from Black Demon’s sheer wickedness. If Reddust had been the evil one and Black Demon benevolent, Xueying might not have acted at all. The karmic influence alone wouldn’t have been enough.
“Your killing intent isn’t strong, and he’s careful not to provoke you, so the likelihood of you taking action is even lower,” Patriarch Chihuo said. “Yet even so, one of his avatars remains hidden on Spacetime Island.”
“Truly cunning and cautious,” Dongbo Xueying conceded.
“Without cunning, how could he have schemed against Reddust and destroyed all his avatars?” Patriarch Chihuo sighed. “Ah, Reddust was too proud to submit to a Dominator. If he had pledged allegiance to the Bloodblade Divine Emperor and stationed an avatar within the Divine Court’s territory, the Divine Emperor could have protected him instantly. How could Black Demon have killed him then?”
Dongbo Xueying nodded.
That was the benefit of serving a Dominator. While a Dominator couldn’t protect someone at all times, within a certain range, they could appear in an instant.
“But serving a Dominator comes with obligations,” Patriarch Chihuo added. “You’re his disciple, so he makes no demands of you. But for ordinary mighty figures—like becoming a Bloodblade Hall Master or gathering rare materials for the Divine Emperor—there are always long-term tasks. They must serve the Divine Emperor.”
“Everyone makes their own choices,” Huiming said. “Master chose this path willingly. Black Demon is too cunning to kill easily. And now, Junior Brother, you have many attachments. Failing to kill Black Demon could bring endless repercussions.”
Dongbo Xueying nodded. His wife and children were indeed his greatest concerns.
Most long-lived mighty figures had no such attachments.
“I’ll have to set this aside for now,” Dongbo Xueying thought. Against such a cunning foe, even a Paragon would struggle to eliminate him.
The moment Xueying decided to let it go, he suddenly understood.
What a masterstroke by Black Demon!
By never provoking him, Black Demon ensured his killing intent remained weak.
If Black Demon had schemed against him—targeting his loved ones, for instance—Xueying’s fury would have driven him to extremes. Even if Black Demon hid on Spacetime Island, the Bloodblade Divine Emperor, the greatest assassin in the Divine Realm and the Abyss, could likely have succeeded in killing him, even at the cost of an avatar.
But the price would have been immense. As a Bloodblade Hall Master, Xueying knew all too well how costly it was to ask the Divine Emperor to kill a mighty figure—likely requiring a Paragon to exhaust all their treasures.
However—
While others would pay a steep price, as the Divine Emperor’s personal disciple, if Xueying were truly consumed by rage, the Divine Emperor might lower his demands out of sympathy and act once. That was precisely why Black Demon had never dared to provoke Xueying.
Even with this realization, Xueying’s killing intent remained subdued. After all, an enemy who knew when to retreat and never caused trouble was hard to hate.
—
With Black Demon’s extreme caution leaving no openings, even Huiming, who held deep affection for Reddust, had to set aside his vengeance.
“By the way, Patriarch,” Dongbo Xueying turned to Patriarch Chihuo. “You mentioned earlier that you had something to discuss?”
Huiming also looked at the patriarch.
“I’ve hesitated for a long time, reluctant to bring this up,” Patriarch Chihuo admitted, his aged face flushing slightly. “But this matter is too important to me, and Xueying, your strength is now sufficient. So I’ve swallowed my pride to trouble you! Of course, if you help me, it will settle the karmic debt from when I aided you before.”
“Don’t speak of debts,” Dongbo Xueying said firmly. “If you hadn’t intervened back then, my life would have been ruined. Your matters are mine. And don’t worry about troubling me—as a Material World Lord, I face no true risk of death. What do I have to fear?”
Patriarch Chihuo was deeply moved.
Men like Dongbo Xueying and Fiendfire Paragon were the type to repay great kindness with their very lives. They didn’t care about settling karmic debts and moving on. Even if the cosmic rules deemed the debt repaid, the gratitude in their hearts remained.
Back then, Dongbo Xueying had been on the brink of despair. Patriarch Chihuo’s intervention had restored color to his life.
“Here’s the situation,” Patriarch Chihuo began without further hesitation. “As you both know, I often cultivate within the Solar Star.”
Dongbo Xueying and Huiming listened intently.
“The Solar Star is an existence on par with the Dark Abyss and the Material Worlds. The deeper one ventures, the more intense the heat becomes. Even Dominators would be incinerated if they dared to reach its core.” Patriarch Chihuo began recounting everything in detail.
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