Dongbo Xueying’s soul was far more powerful than before, making it effortless for him to master a complete combat art. Even the impact on his cognitive speed was minimal.
“Just as I expected,” Dongbo Xueying thought to himself, suppressing a surge of exhilaration. “This truly is a combat art of the Slaughter Path!”
Previously, he had only judged based on external legends. Though he had been seventy to eighty percent confident, there was still a lingering fear of being mistaken.
“*Intercepting Slaughter Six Sword Styles*…”
Countless flashes of sword light flickered faintly in Dongbo Xueying’s eyes.
The First Sword Style of Intercepting Slaughter, the Second Sword Style of Intercepting Slaughter… He rapidly began comprehending and mastering them. Having already established his own Slaughter Path, he grasped much of the first five styles at a glance, learning them with astonishing speed.
“What a brilliant *Intercepting Slaughter*,” Dongbo Xueying marveled inwardly. “The killing intent lies deeply concealed, lying in wait. Even in battle, there is no rush—only the perfect moment is sought, when the killing strike is unleashed without warning, catching the enemy off guard and slaying them instantly.”
The creator of *Intercepting Slaughter Six Sword Styles* was someone even Dongbo Xueying couldn’t help but admire.
The Slaughter Path he had comprehended himself focused on condensing power into a single explosive instant.
But the core philosophy of *Intercepting Slaughter Six Sword Styles* was not to kill immediately—it was about *concealment and patience*. The killing intent remained hidden, and even the sword techniques quietly accumulated power, only to reveal their terrifying fangs at the critical moment, delivering a fatal blow!
—
Beside him, the Ancestor of the Chong Clan watched Dongbo Xueying with astonishment. Currently, Dongbo Xueying held the gray cloth scroll, his eyes shimmering with sword light. A terrifying killing intent surged and receded unpredictably—when concealed, the Ancestor couldn’t sense even a trace of it, but when unleashed, it sent involuntary shivers of fear through him.
“What terrifying killing intent,” the Ancestor thought, feeling the dread rising uncontrollably within him. “This Flying Snow Consultant wasn’t even using his full strength when facing Sheng the Punisher and his men.”
“Still, the stronger he is, the greater the benefit to my Chong Clan,” the Ancestor reassured himself. “If he intended to harm us, he would have done so long ago. He has spent so much time teaching Yan’er—there must be some affection between them.”
For this mysterious and fearsome Flying Snow Consultant, the Ancestor could only place his hopes in the man’s character.
“Truly an impressive *Intercepting Slaughter Six Sword Styles*,” Dongbo Xueying remarked as the sword light in his eyes faded, his expression returning to its usual gentleness. He casually handed the cloth scroll back to the Ancestor. “Clan Leader Chong, the Blazing Fire Palace will not let this go. Even the other two of the Three Great Holy Lands will likely turn their attention here. If the treasure you possess could incite the Blazing Fire Palace’s greed, the other two Holy Lands may covet it as well.”
“Indeed,” the Ancestor nodded.
“What treasure is it?” Dongbo Xueying asked.
“A True God artifact,” the Ancestor replied without hesitation. Since the Blazing Fire Palace already knew, it was no longer a secret—there was no point in hiding it from the Flying Snow Consultant and risking his displeasure.
“I see,” Dongbo Xueying nodded.
The Ancestor tensed slightly, fearing that the Flying Snow Consultant might also develop greedy intentions. He quickly added, “If the Consultant wishes to examine the True God artifact, I can arrange for your avatar to inspect it.”
“No need,” Dongbo Xueying said indifferently.
True God artifacts, though highly prized in this world, meant little to him.
In the Divine Realm and the Abyss, True God artifacts were indeed valuable, but at his level, they were not beyond reach. He himself possessed three—two of which contained Eternal Daos! His wife, Yu Jingqiu, also had one. Moreover, after obtaining them, he had realized one thing: while True God artifacts could aid in comprehending Daos, their assistance was limited.
If they could easily allow one to open up new Daos, then figures like the Bloodblade Divine Emperor and Qing Jun wouldn’t have mastered only three Daos, nor would the Island Lord of Spacetime and the Master of Myriad Realms be limited to just one.
The Daos one comprehended were usually those most aligned with oneself.
Dongbo Xueying had grasped the ‘World True Intent’ as a Transcendent, with the ‘Illusory World True Intent’ being the first branch he mastered. His natural talent in this area, combined with numerous fortuitous encounters, had ultimately led him to establish the ‘Illusory World Dao.’
Similarly, among the second-grade True Intents he had comprehended as a Transcendent, the earliest was the embryonic form of the ‘Extreme Penetration True Intent.’ The Slaughter Path he had opened was also about condensing power into a single explosive point.
His understanding of the world, emotions, all things, and the state of his heart—all these influenced the direction of his cultivation.
External opportunities merely accelerated the process.
Thus, if he obtained a True God artifact suited to him, it might help. But if it was incompatible—even if something like the ‘Spacetime Divine Hall’ were placed before him for prolonged study—he would likely struggle to open a ‘Spacetime Dao.’
“Are you truly certain?” the Ancestor pressed. “The Consultant has done my Chong Clan a great kindness. Examining the True God artifact is but a trivial matter.”
“No,” Dongbo Xueying repeated.
He felt that the ‘Illusory World Dao’ and ‘Slaughter Dao’ were more than enough for his current focus. At this moment, he harbored no desire for other Daos.
“As I said, the Blazing Fire Palace and the other two Holy Lands will likely turn their attention here. By aiding your Chong Clan, I will inevitably oppose them. Thus, I wish to understand them better,” Dongbo Xueying stated.
“Of course,” the Ancestor quickly agreed and began explaining. “Of the Three Great Holy Lands, let me first speak of the Blazing Fire Palace…”
—
With the Ancestor’s detailed account, Dongbo Xueying soon grasped the power structure of this world.
The Three Great Holy Lands each had beings at the ‘Venerable’ level.
The Blazing Fire Palace and the Xuhuang Kingdom each had two Venerables, while the third Holy Land, the ‘Shadow Demon Manor,’ had only one.
This world had five Venerables in total, occupying the highest echelon. They had also amassed countless treasures and combat arts, further solidifying their dominance.
The number of combat arts in this world was surprisingly vast.
They had been passed down through countless epochs, with no restrictions on their dissemination. Once fully comprehended, they could be taught freely, and new originals could be created and spread. As a result, many combat arts had multiple originals surviving across different epochs.
“But why did the Demon Ancestor’s ancient star map lead me here?” Dongbo Xueying wondered. The more he learned, the more perplexed he became.
—
In this world, due to the suppression of natural laws, teleportation and spatial traversal were normally impossible—unless one had opened a Dao that transcended the world’s rules. Dongbo Xueying’s ‘Illusory World’ allowed him to teleport, but for most, travel was slow. Even with the Golden Fiery Cloud Ship at full speed, it would take over five years to reach the Blazing Fire Palace from the Chong Clan’s territory.
Of course, while they traveled, their avatars had already reported everything.
“Flying Snow Consultant?” Within the Blazing Fire Palace, a red-haired man wreathed in faint flames frowned.
Sheng the Punisher and the six Law Enforcers stood before him in avatar form, bowing respectfully.
“Palace Master, the Flying Snow Consultant’s strength is unfathomable. He killed a Law Enforcer in a single strike. Even when five Law Enforcers surrounded him, three were slain in moments… The remaining two only escaped by fleeing back to the Golden Fiery Cloud Ship. Had they been slower, we might all have perished,” the golden-haired Sheng reported solemnly.
“He is far beyond our level,” the other Law Enforcers added.
The flame-wreathed red-haired man nodded grimly and waved his hand. “Dismissed.”
“Yes.”
The avatars dissipated.
Another figure approached—a black-haired man in golden robes, his eyes flickering with golden flames. He smiled faintly. “So, you failed. As I said, a True God artifact isn’t worth forcing a confrontation over.”
“Elder Brother,” the red-haired man frowned. “True God artifacts are exceedingly rare. Though they offer limited aid to those like us who have opened Daos, our Blazing Fire Palace has many other mighty figures. How could a clan like the Chongs be allowed to monopolize such a treasure?”
The black-haired man chuckled but said no more.
Though factions existed within the Blazing Fire Palace, the two of them shared a close bond. As the only two in this world who had opened the Flame Dao, they often exchanged insights and supported each other.
“That Flying Snow Consultant’s strength seems beyond that of a Four-Heavens Sky God,” the black-haired man mused.
“I agree. He might be a newly emerged Venerable in disguise,” the red-haired man said, concerned. “Elder Brother, if a new Venerable has appeared, the implications would be immense.”
“Let us observe the River of Time. If he is a Venerable, having transcended mortality, he would not appear within it,” the black-haired man suggested.
“Right.”
The two turned their gaze toward the distant sky.
The space around them blurred, revealing a deeper layer—a vast, surging river.
The two Palace Masters of the Blazing Fire Palace stared at the River of Time, where countless lives rose and fell. Through karma, they could trace any existence.
“Flying Snow Consultant.”
Following their connection to him, they searched.
Soon, because Dongbo Xueying had entered this world, his presence manifested within the corresponding segment of the River of Time.
But what they saw left them stunned.
Within the river stood an unimaginably colossal figure. His waist alone spanned nearly a tenth of the river’s width, and if he stretched his arms, he could envelop half of it. Even the largest Four-Heavens Sky Gods were like ants before this titanic form.
“How… how is he so massive?” The two Palace Masters gaped in disbelief.
“He hasn’t transcended, yet how…?”
The sight of such an overwhelming presence in the River of Time filled them with unease.
—
It wasn’t just the Blazing Fire Palace’s leaders. The other two Holy Lands—the Xuhuang Kingdom and the Shadow Demon Manor—also peered into the River of Time to verify the Flying Snow Consultant’s status.
What they saw left them equally dumbfounded.
“That size?”
“Before him, the River of Time seems like a mere stream.”
The two Sovereigns of the Xuhuang Kingdom and the Manor Lord of the Shadow Demon Manor were at a loss.
They had never seen or heard of such a thing.
Not even historical records mentioned it! In this world, no Four-Heavens Sky God had ever opened a Dao before. Their shock was absolute.
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