He had twice slain the Crimson Fire Patriarch, seizing the Solar Star Core Stone. The first time it was taken, the Crimson Fire Patriarch was filled with fury, resentment, and despair. The second time, he was nearly driven to madness, coupled with a deep sense of guilt—guilt toward Dongbo Xueying.
And now,
Bamboo Sage was experiencing that same humiliation of being told, *”Who told you to be weak?”*
Yet no matter how humiliated he felt, his true body could not perish, nor could the treasures he possessed fall into Dongbo Xueying’s hands.
*”Among them are treasures connected to the Sect Leader. Perhaps Dongbo Xueying won’t recognize them, but if he does…”* Bamboo Sage grew frantic. *”If they’re exposed, I’m truly finished.”*
His ties to the Sect Leader—
They could not be revealed.
*”Dongbo Xueying… Dongbo Divine Emperor.”* Bamboo Sage felt the dwindling remnants of his true divine power, his illusory avatar’s voice turning shrill with desperation. *”Spare me! We can negotiate anything!”*
*”Oh?”* Dongbo Xueying cast him a sidelong glance.
*”Yes, yes! Anything is negotiable, absolutely anything!”* Bamboo Sage turned urgently toward the nine world avatars in the distance. *”Why haven’t you stopped yet?”*
*Stop?*
Dongbo Xueying sneered inwardly.
Bamboo Sage had slain the Crimson Fire Patriarch twice. He wasn’t even exterminating all of Bamboo Sage’s avatars—just one body. Did he really expect mercy?
Moreover,
A true body stationed in its lair would typically carry the most crucial treasures. Given Bamboo Sage’s desperate pleas, Dongbo Xueying was even more certain: *”There must be something extremely important hidden on him. Otherwise, without such treasures, death would just be death—merely the loss of a body. Another avatar could easily nurture a new one.”*
*”Kill him, seize his treasures—only then will I have leverage in negotiations!”*
*”If I spare him, once his elder brother, Sage Ye, arrives to rescue him, he’ll likely turn on me.”* Dongbo Xueying understood this all too well.
Thus, the nine world avatars showed no sign of stopping.
Dongbo Xueying also sensed through karma the speed at which Sage Ye was approaching.
*”He’ll likely arrive in five more breaths.”* Dongbo Xueying glanced at the countless powdered remnants of the ink-bamboo body, writhing desperately to reform, their vitality astonishingly tenacious. *”But he won’t last even one.”*
*”Stop! Stop now!”* Bamboo Sage’s eyes reddened. *”Do you truly wish to sever all ties? Dongbo Xueying, you have children too.”*
*”My children have already reached the Second Heaven.”* Dongbo Xueying replied coolly.
Not only that—
Dongbo Yu, Dongbo Qingyao, and Yu Jingqiu all had avatars in the Xia Clan’s world.
*”Then what of your countless descendants?”* Bamboo Sage snarled, his sanity fraying.
*”You’re losing your mind over the loss of a single body?”* Dongbo Xueying scoffed. *”Go ahead, make your move. I swear by my name—if you dare act, I will ensure your true body and all avatars are annihilated! Once you’re gone, I’ll simply resurrect my descendants from the River of Time.”*
Bamboo Sage froze.
Dongbo Xueying had strong ties with top-tier Venerables, his master was the Bloodblade Divine Emperor, and his own power was formidable. Such words carried weight.
*”You—you—”* Bamboo Sage was on the verge of madness. With Dongbo Xueying unshaken by threats, he dared not escalate further—he still needed to reclaim his treasures.
*”Can we at least pause the fight and talk?”* Bamboo Sage’s tone softened, though his eyes burned with urgency.
Dongbo Xueying gave him a sidelong glance. *”Have you forgotten how you treated me and Crimson Fire?”*
The moment the words left his lips—
Bamboo Sage’s gaze turned despairing as he watched the distant powder finally dissipate into nothingness, leaving behind only spatial treasures, storage artifacts, and weapons.
*”Hmph.”* With a single step, Dongbo Xueying arrived, sweeping everything into his grasp.
*”He has them now… the leverage is in his hands.”* Bamboo Sage trembled.
—
Meanwhile, Sage Ye, traversing a spatial tunnel, suddenly frowned.
*”Dead?”*
*”Elder Brother, you must kill Dongbo Xueying! Slay him and reclaim my treasures! My accumulations over endless ages—nearly all of it has been taken! You must help me!”* Bamboo Sage’s voice echoed through their mental link.
*”But Fire Devil Venerable is already en route. His spatial traversal speed far surpasses mine.”* Sage Ye replied.
Indeed—
Fire Devil Venerable was swiftly approaching.
*”Elder Brother, you must retrieve them—by any means necessary!”* Bamboo Sage pleaded.
Negotiations?
If Dongbo Xueying inspected the treasures one by one during negotiations, the truth might be exposed. No one could save him then!
The best solution was for Sage Ye to kill Dongbo Xueying and reclaim the treasures.
*”I’ll do my utmost.”* Sage Ye responded, though he was more concerned about time than the battle itself. He was utterly confident in facing Dongbo Xueying.
Sage Ye’s intelligence was lacking—
He knew nothing of the Annihilation Abyss, nor that Dongbo Xueying was a member of the Annihilation Legion. He believed that, as a Venerable, subduing Dongbo Xueying would be effortless.
—
High above the Ink-Bamboo Continent, Dongbo Xueying sensed both Sage Ye and Fire Devil Venerable closing in.
*”Elder Brother, I must trouble you.”* He transmitted mentally.
*”You should’ve informed me sooner.”* Fire Devil Venerable grumbled. *”Do you still consider me your brother?”*
*”If Sage Ye hadn’t intervened, there’d have been no need to trouble you.”* Dongbo Xueying replied. *”But since Bamboo Sage’s loss of a single body provoked Sage Ye’s involvement… though I fear him not—he’s merely an ordinary Venerable—with you as my reinforcement, I’m even more assured.”*
With that, he took a single step—
*”Rip—”*
A spatial tunnel tore open as Dongbo Xueying surged toward Fire Devil Venerable. His priority was reclaiming the Solar Star Core Stone. A confrontation with Sage Ye could wait.
*”Fleeing?”* Sage Ye, still in pursuit, gritted his teeth.
Had Dongbo Xueying remained in place, he could’ve arrived swiftly with ample time to act.
But now, Dongbo Xueying was converging with Fire Devil Venerable.
*”I must catch him!”* Sage Ye pushed his speed to the limit. Time was tight—Fire Devil Venerable’s traversal speed was over six times his own. And though Fire Devil Venerable was rushing from the far end of the Divine Realm, the distance was vast.
Chase!
Chase!
Chase!
Sage Ye pursued relentlessly for his sworn brother’s sake.
Dongbo Xueying, meanwhile, raced toward Fire Devil Venerable.
*”Sage Ye, halt!”* Fire Devil Venerable’s voice boomed through their karmic link. *”Do you seek death?”*
*”I’m almost there!”* Sage Ye ignored the warning.
Had it been Qing Jun issuing the threat, he would’ve surrendered instantly.
But Fire Devil Venerable? A master of flame, nothing more. Sage Ye’s own path excelled in survival—he was confident in escaping even Fire Devil Venerable’s wrath.
*”Got you.”*
Within the radiant currents of the spatial tunnel, Sage Ye spotted Dongbo Xueying ahead.
*”Die.”*
A peculiar branch materialized in Sage Ye’s hand, adorned with seven leaves—a true divine artifact, the very tool that had guided him in forging his own path. He struck without hesitation, unleashing the artifact’s full might.
*”Hmph.”* Unable to evade, Dongbo Xueying halted. The world around them trembled as vast Taihao energies coalesced into an incomplete realm, its fractures collapsing, gray mist billowing forth to engulf Sage Ye.
Simultaneously, nine world avatars manifested.
Dongbo Xueying swung his Crimson Cloud Spear—
*”BOOM—”*
The spear, alongside nine others, descended like a crushing tide.
Yet Sage Ye merely flicked the branch, its leaves grazing the Crimson Cloud Spear. The spear’s overwhelming force was steadily diminished, though the impact still forced Sage Ye back three steps through the void. Both now stood in the material world, their clash reducing nearby barren planets to nothingness.
*”Such power!”* Sage Ye was stunned.
Though Dongbo Xueying’s strike was fierce, the branch’s leaves transmitted an eerie force that bypassed even his weapon’s defenses.
Yet when it reached the black armor encasing his body—
The Annihilation Armor dispersed the mysterious energy, leaving only the faintest residue, harmless against Dongbo Xueying’s formidable physique.
*”What?!”* Sage Ye stared in disbelief. He knew his technique’s potency—though his path emphasized survival, as a Venerable, he should’ve easily overwhelmed any foe beneath his rank.
*”How is he completely unaffected? Did he just… tank it?”* Sage Ye’s eyes widened. *”His body is this resilient?”*
He had no idea—
Even White Monarch, a top-tier Venerable famed for his lethality, had only managed to crack this armor with a full-force strike. Had Sage Ye known, his shock would’ve been far greater.
*”Fire Devil Venerable is almost here. No time left—if I can’t kill him instantly, I’ll imprison him within a spatial treasure.”* Sage Ye swiftly altered his approach.
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