“Have you forged your own path?” Even someone as composed as the Blood Blade Divine Emperor fell silent for a moment, gazing at his disciple before him.
The master remained silent, his eyes fixed on him.
Dongbo Xueying felt a pang of awkwardness and quickly added, “I didn’t plan for this either. After being ambushed by the Ancestral Mother Cult, I simply followed the flow and journeyed to the Primordial Land. By sheer luck, I survived there. Just as I was about to leave, I glimpsed the illusory world within the Primordial Land and was awestruck by the profound mastery of its ancient founder. As you know, Master, I’ve always immersed myself in comprehending the mysteries of the world. As I observed, I became utterly absorbed, gaining countless insights. Naturally, I grasped the ‘Illusory Path.’ Once realized, it’s impossible for me to unlearn it!”
“You truly are remarkable,” the Blood Blade Divine Emperor finally spoke.
Dongbo Xueying hurriedly replied, “Since I’ve already comprehended it, there’s no point in regretting it now.”
“Why should you regret it?” the Divine Emperor countered.
Dongbo Xueying was taken aback.
“Forging a path is a great achievement. Why regret it?” The Divine Emperor took a deep breath, scrutinizing his disciple closely. “I’m marveling—marveling at how extraordinary my prized disciple is. To forge a path after just a million years of cultivation! Compared to you, even Zhushan, despite his rapid progress, pales in comparison. As your master, I feel almost ashamed.”
Dongbo Xueying finally relaxed. “I thought you were furious and about to reprimand me.”
Personally, he didn’t mind forging his path early.
When tormented by the ‘Ghost Six Resentment Curse,’ Dongbo Xueying had already seen through life and death. Even if he failed to become a Paragon by the end of this cosmic epoch and perished, he would depart with nothing but gratitude. His unease stemmed from fearing his master’s disappointment—after all, the Blood Blade Divine Emperor had repeatedly cautioned him before.
“Praise is the least I can offer. Why would I reprimand you?” The Divine Emperor laughed heartily. “In truth, forging your path early has little impact. As long as you ascend to Paragon before this cosmic epoch ends, all is well. I believe in you—if you’ve reached the Sovereign realm in a mere million years, becoming a Paragon in the ages to come won’t be difficult.”
“Master, when the cosmic epoch ends, can those who transcend continue to live?” Dongbo Xueying asked.
Last time, when he inquired about this from the white-haired elder in the Primordial Land, the elder had grown irritated.
Dongbo Xueying hadn’t dared to press further then, but now he sought his master’s wisdom.
“The end of this epoch?” The Divine Emperor paused, his expression turning complex—tinged with anticipation, worry, and a trace of unease.
“You’ll know in due time,” he replied evasively.
From his master’s expression, Dongbo Xueying gleaned a vague understanding and chose not to probe further.
“What kind of path is the Illusory Path?” the Divine Emperor asked. Though he had his suspicions, no one in this cosmic epoch had ever mastered it before.
Dongbo Xueying explained, “It’s no longer just the Illusory Heart—it’s a vast Illusory World, one that can even envelop and evolve within the real world. By traversing the Illusory World, I become untouchable to enemies unless they possess means to forcibly penetrate it.”
“Ah, much like my Shadow World,” the Divine Emperor chuckled. “When it comes to assassination, our paths rank among the top two in the Divine Realm and the Abyss.”
Dongbo Xueying nodded in agreement.
In terms of potential, the Illusory Path and the Shadow Path were equals—both transcending the boundaries of the ordinary world.
“A self-contained world excels in assassination,” the Divine Emperor remarked. “Other paths, like Zhushan’s Thunder of Destruction or Huo Chen’s ‘Flame,’ though devastating, are confined to direct combat within the normal world.”
“Indeed,” Dongbo Xueying acknowledged.
Forged paths varied.
Figures like the Sacred Leaf, Huo Chen the Flame Sovereign, the Zhushan Mansion Lord, and even Paragons such as the Ten Thousand Gods Palace Master and the Netherworld Paragon—though they had all forged their paths—still operated within the normal world. The Zhushan Mansion Lord’s ‘Thunder of Destruction’ was terrifyingly destructive, capable of annihilating weaker Sovereigns head-on.
Dongbo Xueying, however, had grasped an entirely separate world through his path. Of course, his ‘Illusory World’ was still in its infancy, far from matching the Divine Emperor’s eternal ‘Shadow World.’
“I originally prepared a gift to help you forge your path swiftly after transcending,” the Divine Emperor said with a smile. “But now that you’ve already reached the Path-Forging realm, my preparations are obsolete.”
Dongbo Xueying blinked in surprise.
His master had mentioned a gift before, but Dongbo Xueying hadn’t dwelled on it—armed with his own techniques and a True God artifact, he lacked nothing urgent. “Master, if there’s ever a treasure suited for me in the future, you can bestow it then,” he offered.
“You’ve reached the Path-Forging realm. A gift is only fitting. If I delay until you become a Paragon, finding something to satisfy you would give me a headache,” the Divine Emperor chuckled. Then, he glanced at the void beside him.
*Hum.*
Space tore open abruptly.
A black bird flew out, alighting on the Divine Emperor’s shoulder.
“Fetch a vial of ‘Void Soul Elixir,’” the Divine Emperor instructed.
“Void Soul Elixir?” The black bird’s eyes bulged. “Blood Blade, we only have one and a half vials left! You want one?”
“Bring it,” the Divine Emperor commanded.
Reluctantly, the black bird opened its beak, revealing a distorted spatial passage within. A small black vial flew out, landing in the Divine Emperor’s palm—no larger than the span of a hand.
The Divine Emperor gazed at the vial, his expression complex. “The greatest crisis I’ve ever faced in my cultivation was for the sake of obtaining this.”
Dongbo Xueying was stunned.
If even his master’s greatest trial had been for this treasure, and even the black bird—his fifth martial uncle—was this reluctant to part with it…
“Master, this is too precious,” Dongbo Xueying protested.
“Back then, I was still a Sovereign. I obtained it in another universe, enduring unimaginable hardships,” the Divine Emperor said with a faint smile. “Though it’s invaluable even to Paragons, I possess far greater treasures now. What makes the Void Soul Elixir rare is its ability to evolve and strengthen the soul.”
“Soul evolution?” Dongbo Xueying’s eyes lit up.
In their universe, souls grew stronger by merging with laws to form Divine Hearts. The mightier the forged path, the stronger the Divine Heart. This was the conventional method.
“Precisely. I’ve already used it—it no longer benefits me. I also gave a vial to your senior brother Qing Jun when he first became a Sovereign,” the Divine Emperor said. “This one is for you.”
“Kid,” the black bird on the Divine Emperor’s shoulder huffed indignantly. “This is the last vial in the universe. What I have left is just half a vial.”
“You old bird,” the Divine Emperor chided. “Xueying has forged his path—with such comprehension, of course I must lend him a hand.”
“What?!” The black bird’s anger vanished, replaced by shock as it stared at Dongbo Xueying. “You’ve forged your path?”
“Yes,” Dongbo Xueying confirmed.
“Just a million years… This speed surpasses even Qing Jun’s. Blood Blade, your disciple is terrifying!” the black bird exclaimed. A million years was a blink in cultivation time—most would consider reaching the second-tier Heaven God realm in that span a feat. Yet Dongbo Xueying had surpassed the entire Heaven God realm, even transcending the World realm to forge his path.
“Nurture him well, Blood Blade. Spare no effort. This disciple’s potential to become a Paragon rivals Qing Jun’s,” the black bird urged.
“I’m well aware,” the Divine Emperor said, tossing the small black vial to Dongbo Xueying.
Dongbo Xueying caught it deftly.
“Treasure it. Once you’ve used it and your soul can no longer improve, there may be remnants left. You may gift those as you wish—but remember, only those with souls at least at the Great Elder level can consume it. A fourth-tier Heaven God would perish instantly from the strain. Most importantly, as long as your soul can still grow, never share it. Maximize your own soul’s evolution—it’s pivotal for cultivation,” the Divine Emperor instructed. “This single vial is worth more than ten True God artifacts.”
“Understood,” Dongbo Xueying nodded.
“Consume it immediately after you leave. If other Paragons learn of it, they’d stoop to theft without hesitation,” the Divine Emperor sighed. “After all, this is an opportunity I seized from another universe—it doesn’t exist in ours.”
“Thank you, Master,” Dongbo Xueying said gratefully.
“I have only three personal disciples. Who else would I aid if not you?” The Divine Emperor smiled warmly.
In his eyes, though Qing Jun now rivaled Paragons in status while Dongbo Xueying lagged behind, he regarded them as equals—Xueying had simply started later. As for Gu Zang? Compared to Dongbo Xueying and Qing Jun, he fell short.
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