The Bloodblade Divine Court’s territory spans three-tenths of the entire Divine Realm, vast and boundless. Dongbo Xueying wandered through various regions, seeking the opportunity for transcendence.
**Yunka Star.**
In an ordinary small city, within a humble courtyard of a common residence, an elderly carpenter was carving patterns onto a chair with a chisel, wood shavings scattered across the ground.
“Old man,” a young man in green robes emerged from the house. “I’ve recovered enough. It’s time for me to leave. Thank you for saving my life.”
The old carpenter bore a striking resemblance to Dongbo Xueying—about seventy percent similar—though his hair was streaked with white, his face weathered with age.
This was, of course, Dongbo Xueying in disguise. As he roamed the Divine Realm, he would settle in one place for decades, living as a mortal, his appearance gradually aging. When he grew too old, he would quietly depart and begin anew elsewhere.
“Child, your injuries aren’t fully healed yet,” Dongbo Xueying straightened slightly, rubbing his lower back before shuffling forward with a slight hunch. “Stay here and rest. There’s no rush to leave.”
“Old man, my presence will only bring you trouble,” the young man insisted.
“Hahaha, look at me—my hair’s already white, and I’m all alone. What trouble do I have to fear?” Dongbo Xueying chuckled, coughing twice. “Even if you don’t say it, I can guess. That night I saved you, the city-wide manhunt was for you, wasn’t it?”
The young man in green gave an awkward smile.
He knew the old man must have figured it out. After all, the search had described his appearance, clothing, and injuries in detail—how could he not know?
“Stay here in peace. An old man like me could use some company,” Dongbo Xueying said, coughing again before turning back to his carving.
“Old man, you keep coughing. You should get some medicine,” the young man said with concern.
“Just an old ailment. It’s nothing,” Dongbo Xueying replied. His transformed body aged and fell ill like any mortal’s.
Suddenly, Dongbo Xueying glanced outside.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
Soon, the distant rumble of movement echoed beyond the courtyard. The young man’s face paled, and he immediately leaped onto the roof, ready to flee—but the sky filled with the piercing cries of armored birds, their riders swiftly encircling the air above.
*Boom!*
The courtyard gate shattered as soldiers mounted on savage beasts stormed in.
The young man looked up at the dozens of aerial soldiers, despair flashing in his eyes before he dropped back into the yard.
Among the soldiers, a lavishly dressed youth astride a white-furred beast stepped forward, smirking coldly. “My dear brother, wasn’t it nice being a puppet emperor? Fine clothes, sumptuous feasts, beautiful women at your beck and call.”
“A puppet emperor? You were sending me to my death!” the young man spat angrily. “Don’t think I don’t know—in three years, the gods will descend to collect faith energy. When they find it missing, I’ll be executed on the spot! And if I’m not mistaken, the dark god behind you will soon seize my soul, turning me into a truly obedient puppet. That would be worse than death!”
“Tsk, tsk. You know quite a bit,” the opulently dressed youth mused, impressed. “I underestimated you.”
“You’re my brother! How could you do this to me?” the young man raged.
“Such is the fate of royalty. With hundreds of siblings, what does one more or less matter?” the youth sighed. “Before the gods descend in three years, everything must be flawless—even the scapegoat must be prepared. Now, it’s time for you to return.”
The young man clenched his teeth, then cast a desperate glance around. “I’ll go back with you—but promise me you’ll spare the old man. He’s just an ordinary person.”
“Him?”
The youth glanced at the slightly hunched Dongbo Xueying and scoffed. “I told you—no loose ends.”
“Divine Envoy, kill him,” the youth commanded.
“As you wish, Your Highness,” a black-robed figure responded respectfully.
“No! If you do this, I—I’ll kill myself!” the young man threatened.
“My dear brother, since when did you have the courage for suicide?” the youth smirked. An invisible force of the world had already enveloped the young man. “Don’t worry. Before me, a mere mortal can’t take their own life. Accept your fate—it’s the one I’ve arranged for you.”
The young man’s eyes reddened as he turned to Dongbo Xueying. “Old man… I’ve dragged too many into this. Now, I’ve doomed you too.”
“Ah…”
“So it’s about stealing faith energy,” Dongbo Xueying coughed twice. “Faith energy is demanded by the higher powers of the Divine Realm. Every star must submit it. To think some dark god dares to steal it—how bold.”
As he spoke, the approaching black-robed envoy froze mid-step, only his eyes darting about in panic.
The opulent youth’s face drained of color. Hearing “every star must submit it” and seeing his envoy immobilized, he knew he had stumbled into something far beyond him.
“Master! Master, we have a problem!” the youth frantically called for aid.
Soon—
*Boom!*
The heavens trembled as a colossal golden figure emerged in the distance, his feet planted on the earth, his knees above the clouds, his massive form stretching into the void. A towering deity, tens of thousands of miles tall—utterly overwhelming for a mere planet only tens of thousands of miles in diameter. The god’s furious gaze swept downward, locking onto the small city, the small courtyard, and the hunched old carpenter within.
Dongbo Xueying looked up, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
“Great God!” Countless people across the star prostrated in terror at the sight of the towering deity.
“Who are you?” the colossal god bellowed.
“Little one, you’ve got quite the nerve,” Dongbo Xueying extended a hand. Instantly, the towering god shrank uncontrollably, flying into Dongbo Xueying’s palm until he was no larger than an ant.
Everyone present was stunned. The opulent youth, his soldiers, and the green-robed young man gaped in disbelief.
A god, tens of thousands of miles tall, had just been reduced to the size of an insect in an old carpenter’s hand?
“From today onward, you are this boy’s servant,” Dongbo Xueying declared, flicking his wrist. The god transformed into a gray-robed elder, kneeling reverently. “Thank you, Senior, for sparing my life.”
He knew—any being capable of such power had to be at least a World God. After all, he himself was a mid-tier deity.
“Senior…” The opulent youth immediately dropped to his knees.
But Dongbo Xueying ignored him, turning instead to the young man in green. With a smile, an invisible force of the world permeated the boy’s body, refining it into a transcendent state.
“You thought of me even at the end. Consider this my final gift—to settle our karmic bond.”
“Old man…” The young man was speechless. Even a fool could see this “old man” was an unfathomably powerful figure, a true titan of the Divine Realm who had lived for who knew how long.
“Senior, in three years, when they come to collect the faith energy… I’ll be exposed,” the gray-robed elder said nervously.
Dongbo Xueying tossed him a small stone brimming with faith energy. “This will more than cover the deficit.”
The elder’s face lit up with relief.
“Boy, take care of yourself,” Dongbo Xueying said to the young man before vanishing into thin air.
The gray-robed elder exhaled in relief, approaching the dazed young man. “Master, who was that senior?”
“I don’t know. Everyone just called him ‘Old Man Dongbo,'” the young man murmured.
“Old Man Dongbo?”
The elder frowned. “There aren’t many World Gods named ‘Dongbo’… Could he be from the legendary Dongbo Divine Emperor’s lineage? That one is a figure of myth.”
Dongbo Xueying’s fame in the Divine Realm was immense. His stunning debut at the Ten Thousand Flowers Banquet, his acceptance as a disciple under the Divine Emperor, and rumors of him slaying a mighty being—his renown among deities far surpassed even that of Lord Anhai.
“Probably someone from the Dongbo Divine Emperor’s lineage,” the elder mused silently.
—
After leaving Yunka Star, Dongbo Xueying’s appearance swiftly reverted—his mortal guise dissolving into his true form.
Youthful features returned.
An overwhelming, terrifying aura radiated naturally—this was the true visage of Dongbo, the Divine Emperor.
“Three thousand years wandering the stars, yet transcendence still eludes me,” Dongbo Xueying sighed. “Given my level of cultivation, it seems nothing can stir me deeply enough. Though leaving the Bloodblade Divine Court’s territory may invite trouble… it’s time to take the risk.”
“First, to Moonstar.”
With a wave of his hand, he tore open a spatial rift, stepping into the shimmering passage toward Moonstar.
Originally, he had been reluctant to leave the Bloodblade Divine Court’s domain.
Mostly due to wariness of the ‘Water Demon King’ and the Ancestral Cult. Still, he doubted the Water Demon King would be foolish enough to act—his earlier threats had likely been mere intimidation to coerce treasures. But Dongbo Xueying, having risen swiftly in power, carried a pride unlike the patience of older cultivators.
“The Water Demon King is unlikely to strike. But the Ancestral Cult… would they really move over a few materials from Bamboo Sage?” Dongbo Xueying pondered. “Are their ambitions so petty?”
What he didn’t know was—
The Ancestral Cult couldn’t openly gather resources, relying instead on figures like Bamboo Sage and other experts across the Divine Realm and Abyss. Beyond these deliberate collectors, even mighty beings and Sovereigns rarely hoarded such peculiar items.
Yet these were precisely what the Ancestral Cult desperately needed.
—
**Ancestral Cult Stronghold.**
In an ancient, towering hall, a massive green-brown-skinned man with two tusks and clad in tattered cloth slowly opened his eyes. His gaze radiated boundless warmth, filling the hall with a soothing, joyful atmosphere.
“Dongbo Xueying has left the Bloodblade Divine Court’s territory,” the tusked giant murmured with a smile. “It’s time to reclaim those precious materials.”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage