Deep within a colossal, distant structure, in an otherwise ordinary hall, a woman clad in purple robes wore an expression of shock as she urgently communicated with Sage Zhu: “What happened?”
The purple-robed woman had deep brown skin and golden eyes, devoid of eyebrows or hair, exuding an icy aura. Even draped in her violet gown, she radiated an intangible presence—a manifestation of her overwhelmingly powerful physique, far surpassing even Dongbo Xueying. Most peculiarly, she bore no karmic threads entwining her existence!
“Here’s the situation,” Sage Zhu hastily replied. “Earlier, you informed me that the Solar Star Core Stone was in the possession of Patriarch Redflame. I slew him and claimed it, only for Dongbo Xueying to retaliate by storming my domain. Alone, he shattered my guardian formation and annihilated my true body. All my treasures were stored within it, while my avatar roamed elsewhere. Now, everything I possessed is lost—including the Solar Star Core Stone, which I was forced to surrender under the pressure of Venerable Huorong. Only then did Dongbo Xueying and Huorable Huorong relent.”
“All of it… gone?” The purple-robed Guardian narrowed her eyes slightly.
“If Dongbo Xueying scrutinizes my collection, he may uncover my ties to your order,” Sage Zhu pressed urgently. “If exposed, I am doomed! I implore you, Guardian, to relay this to the Sect Master. With his boundless power, eliminating Dongbo Xueying should be effortless. Once he reclaims the treasures taken from me, my secret remains safe.”
“Kill Dongbo Xueying?” the Guardian inquired. “What materials have you gathered?”
“Following the tasks assigned by the Sect Master, I’ve nearly completed the eighth—lacking only ‘Fernwhisper Tendrils.’ The others are partially fulfilled with scattered rare ingredients,” Sage Zhu reported.
“Understood,” the Guardian replied coolly. “I shall inform the Sect Master.”
“Thank you, Guardian! Please notify me at once with any updates.” Sage Zhu’s voice trembled with desperation. He had no other recourse.
Assassinate Dongbo Xueying to silence him? Impossible. As a Material World Sovereign, none in the Divine Realm or Abyss could touch him—unless the Xia Clan’s world perished first. Alternatively, destroying Dongbo Xueying’s form in the Blackmist Sea to reclaim the treasures might suffice, provided he remained oblivious to their significance. Yet even this was daunting.
The Blackmist Sea lay within Bloodblade Divine Court’s territory. The top-ranked ‘Bloodblade God Emperor’ from the Cosmic Deity-Demon Ranking could intervene instantly to protect his disciple. Moreover, Sage Zhu had gleaned from their prior clash that even an ordinary Venerable would struggle to kill Dongbo Xueying, let alone a supreme one. He lacked the influence to summon such aid.
His sole hope? The Sect Master’s intervention.
—
Severing the communication, the purple-robed Guardian murmured disdainfully, “Useless fool. Couldn’t even handle this trifling matter.” Rising, she strode through the hall’s doors into a grand, archaic corridor lined with stone steps.
Along the passage, shadowy figures moved—five in black robes, three in obsidian armor, and one clad in violet battle gear. “Guardian You,” the lesser ranks bowed respectfully, while the violet-armored warrior merely glanced her way without acknowledgment.
At the corridor’s end loomed massive bronze doors, their surfaces marred by rust. As she approached, the gates groaned open, revealing an ancient, towering hall.
Within sat a colossal figure—a tusked giant wrapped in tattered cloth, his exposed skin resembling weathered stone. A rhythmic, hypnotic heartbeat pulsed through the chamber, stifling even the Guardian’s breath.
“Sect Master,” she greeted, kneeling opposite him.
The heartbeat ceased. The giant’s eyes opened, swirling with galaxies, and his grotesque face softened into a smile that radiated warmth, transforming the very air. “Little You,” he rumbled affectionately. “What troubles you?”
“Sage Zhu has stirred trouble.” She relayed the events meticulously.
The Sect Master nodded. “Dongbo Xueying… Bloodblade’s disciple proves formidable indeed. That old fiend excels at nurturing talent.”
They both knew the terror of the Bloodblade God Emperor—the universe’s supreme being.
“Sage Zhu nearly completed gathering materials for the ‘Heaven’s Maw Egg,’” the Sect Master mused. “A pity they’re now in Dongbo Xueying’s hands.”
“Shall we eliminate him?” the Guardian asked.
“With Venerable Huorong beside him, even my strike would buy time for the Island Lord, Bloodblade, and Primordial Origin to rally. The Blackmist Sea is Bloodblade’s domain—he can manifest anywhere within it instantly. For now, we retreat. We’ve suffered enough losses to him.”
The Guardian nodded. “So we spare Dongbo Xueying?”
“Wait until he leaves Bloodblade’s territory, unattended by top-tier Venerables. Then a single Guardian dispatched to kill him suffices. A mere Fourth Heaven with some luck poses no true threat. Though losing those materials is regrettable.”
“Indeed,” she agreed. “Our hands are tied in openly collecting them.”
“Without karmic threads, exposure invites united annihilation by Bloodblade’s faction,” the Sect Master sighed. “Thus, every ally is precious—especially the powerful. But Sage Zhu is just an ordinary True God, expendable. Silence him before he leaks more.”
“Understood.”
“Stall him,” the Sect Master instructed. “Soon, he’ll perish without a whisper.”
As the Guardian departed, the Sect Master vanished, reappearing in a shadowy adjacent hall dominated by a massive tripodal cauldron. Flames licked its base while mysterious fluids churned within.
Before it crouched an emaciated elder with eyebrows trailing to the floor, his aura dwarfing even Venerables as he controlled the cauldron’s flames.
“You heard?” the Sect Master asked.
The elder smirked. “Another sacrifice—this ‘Sage Zhu’ hiding in Sage Ye’s lair? Only my arts can reach him unseen.”
“This universe’s ways baffle me,” the elder continued. “Their frail bodies wield combat arts beyond ours. Their ‘Dao comprehension’ and formations… unprecedented. Yet our path remains supreme—theirs is but groping in the dark.”
“Here.” The Sect Master flicked a drop of Sage Zhu’s jade-green blood to the elder.
“Three sacrifices since arriving,” the elder mused. “He’ll be dead within half a month.”
—
Meanwhile, Sage Zhu recuperated in his brother Sage Ye’s sanctuary, nurturing a new body.
“The Sect Master decrees Dongbo Xueying’s death requires careful timing. Await the outcome,” the Guardian’s message read.
Relief flooded Sage Zhu. Blind faith in the Sect Master’s might reassured him—yet as a mighty being, caution prevailed. His brother’s lifeward Dao and fortified stronghold offered safety.
“Dongbo Xueying,” he sneered inwardly. “Your triumph is fleeting. The Sect Master’s retribution comes.”
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