Chapter 668: Inside the Ancient Tower

Dongbo Xueying looked up at the tower, which stood twelve zhang tall. It appeared ancient and unremarkable, just like any ordinary old pagoda.

Following the steps, he entered the tower’s interior.

Inside, the space was vast and empty. High in the air, a translucent green crystal the size of a thumb hovered, emitting a soft glow that illuminated the tower’s interior. The light inexplicably calmed Dongbo Xueying’s heart.

“What is this?” he soon noticed that within the gentle glow of the green crystal, countless ever-changing characters flickered and shifted.

“Passing the trials of the Three Demon Halls grants you the legacy left by the Demon Ancestor,” the white-robed, white-haired elder said with a smile. “The rewards are twofold. First, the initial volume of the *True Body of Ten Thousand Demons*, which every successful cultivator receives. The second is a treasure—purely a matter of luck. You may reach into the Demon Ancestor’s treasury and take whatever you grasp. If fortune favors you, you might even obtain an ancient demon as a servant.”

“An ancient demon?” Dongbo Xueying’s eyes gleamed.

“The weakest among them are at the Sovereign level,” the elder teased. “Though, from the time this tower was erected until now, no one has been fortunate enough to claim one.”

Dongbo Xueying smirked.

Obviously.

The more extraordinary the treasure, the slimmer the chances of obtaining it.

“This is the initial volume of the *True Body of Ten Thousand Demons*. Study it quickly,” the elder said, gesturing toward the shifting characters within the green glow. “The *True Body of Ten Thousand Demons* is the Demon Ancestor’s supreme technique, and the initial volume is the most crucial—the foundation. To someone of the Demon Ancestor’s stature, this power is trivial, but for a Venerable, it is a coveted treasure. You should know that with this technique, even the Sword Master of Heartlake Island could not subdue the Demon Ancestor.”

Dongbo Xueying had already begun focusing, committing the characters to memory.

He understood the immense value of this technique.

Why did so many seek the legacy of the Three Demon Halls?

For this very art.

If *Annihilation Profound Body* was merely a standardized technique created by the Heartlake Island Master for his legions—and even then, a simplified version for soldiers—then *True Body of Ten Thousand Demons* was the Demon Ancestor’s magnum opus, the pinnacle of his lifelong achievements. In this regard, even the Heartlake Island Master paled in comparison. Based on the insights from this technique, the Demon Ancestor had even forged mighty ancient demons.

Even the initial volume was something Venerables dreamed of obtaining.

“How peculiar,” Dongbo Xueying murmured as he memorized the shifting characters. Gradually, the more he absorbed, the more their meanings became clear. The three foundational secret arts were the core of this volume, and having mastered them, comprehending the initial volume came naturally.

He studied for over an hour.

Finally, enlightenment dawned.

At that moment, he realized that the characters were merely a guide. True mastery lay in grasping the essence of the volume. Memorizing the characters alone was meaningless—they were infinite and ever-changing.

“Have you learned it?” the elder asked. “With the three secret arts mastered, the initial volume should pose no difficulty.”

Dongbo Xueying nodded.

“To cultivate this volume, external resources seem necessary,” he remarked.

“That is for you to gather. Though, strictly speaking, one could rely solely on energy—it would just take much longer,” the elder replied.

Dongbo Xueying scoffed. Cultivating unaided? Having grasped the volume, he knew that relying solely on his inner World Divine Power to evolve his body would take billions of years. Even with a hundredfold time acceleration in a pocket dimension, an eon would pass in the outside world.

That was far too long. He refused to spend so much time on a single technique.

With external resources, it could be done in as little as ten thousand years.

“Come,” the elder gestured toward a wall, where a hole suddenly appeared. “Reach inside. Whatever you grasp is yours—pure luck.”

“Fine,” Dongbo Xueying sighed. The Demon Ancestor’s whimsical arrangements amused him.

He stepped forward and reached into the void-like hole.

His hand met nothingness—until suddenly, he seized something.

An unseen force expelled him, and the hole sealed shut.

“What is this?” He stared at his hand, now holding a black sheet of paper. It was soft, and as a stream of information flooded his mind, the paper crumbled into nothingness.

“This…” He frowned.

It was a vast star map.

Marked within were the Sun Star, the Moon Star, the Abyss of Darkness, countless celestial bodies, and even Heartlake Island and the Six Paths Heavenly Wheel.

One location was highlighted.

“This is literally a star map of our universe,” Dongbo Xueying muttered. Given that each cosmic cycle ended in destruction, how useful was a map from past epochs in the current eighth cycle?

“At least the Moon Star, Sun Star, Heartlake Island, and Six Paths Heavenly Wheel remain constant,” he mused. “Using them as reference points, I can deduce the marked location.”

“A piece of paper?” The elder chuckled. “Your luck is… peculiar. Whether good or bad, who can say? Now, it’s time for you to leave.”

A bubble formed around Dongbo Xueying.

*Pop.*

As it burst, he vanished in a flash of teleportation.

—

**Snowhawk Domain.**

Amidst the endless snowfall, Dongbo Xueying sent a causal message: *”Emperor Wuqiu, I’m leaving the Six Paths Heavenly Wheel.”*

*”Over eight hundred thousand years—for someone of your cultivation age, staying this long is surprising,”* came the reply.

Dongbo Xueying smiled.

He hadn’t planned to linger so long, but the Three Demon Halls’ legacy had kept him. Now, with the three secret arts mastered and the rewards claimed, it was time to depart.

*”I won’t keep you. If you ever need assistance, call upon me,”* he said. Each lifeform could enter the Six Paths Heavenly Wheel only thrice, but if the Mother Goddess Sect was involved, he’d gladly return.

*”If we’re short on hands, I’ll drag you back,”* Emperor Wuqiu joked.

After their farewell, Dongbo Xueying traversed the Void World in rapid teleportation, heading for the exit.

Each realm within the Six Paths Heavenly Wheel had an exit—a swirling abyss in the ground. While the sky’s vortex led to other realms, the earth’s led outward.

With a *whoosh*, he plunged into the dark vortex.

—

Reappearing outside the Six Paths Heavenly Wheel, he gazed at the colossal six-colored wheel rotating slowly. Smiling, he tore through spacetime and vanished.

—

He didn’t rush to the location marked on the star map. The Demon Ancestor’s legacy was unpredictable—better to prepare thoroughly. Once he mastered the *True Body of Ten Thousand Demons* initial volume, solidified his Path of Slaughter, and settled affairs in the Divine Realm, then he would set out.

After all, several cosmic cycles had passed. A little more time wouldn’t hurt.

—

From the Six Paths Heavenly Wheel at the edge of the Abyss, he swiftly returned to Blackmist Sea.

“Home at last.” Floating high above, he gazed at the distant grand estate and smiled. This time, his absence had been far too long.