Chapter 736: The Gift of the Third Prince

Deep within the hidden underground, the Third Prince, ‘Jiao Yunliu,’ was gazing at a black plant before him. The plant bore three dark green fruits.

“Hurry and ripen. I’ve waited far too long.”

Jiao Yunliu had delicate features, his body covered in crimson scales, with a single dark red scale adorning his forehead. His complexion was fair, and his entire aura was restrained and gentle. His eyes, however, burned with desire as they lingered on the black plant.

“Your Highness, the fruits are still far from ripening. The three of us are responsible for guarding and tending to them—you need not worry,” said a dark-skinned man with vertical pupils, chuckling. He was also an outsider, hailing from another universe, but he was one of the Third Prince’s most trusted subordinates. Two other formidable figures stood beside him.

“Your Highness, Shan Dan mentioned that an outsider Venerable named Dongbo Xueying will arrive soon,” reported one of Jiao Yunliu’s guards from behind.

“Good. Let us go.”

Jiao Yunliu nodded and departed with his guards. Though they were underground, the area was heavily fortified with ancient formations, their defenses extremely strict. Jiao Yunliu glanced at the formations and nodded in satisfaction. Though he knew the fruits were far from ripe, he couldn’t resist visiting frequently—he feared any mishap. Only by seeing the fruits still growing with his own eyes could he rest easy.

Despite residing on the surface and personally controlling the formations, he still made repeated inspections.

“Once the fruits ripen, my power will advance greatly. There’s even a chance my bloodline will awaken, allowing me to step into the Dominator level and be granted a princely title.” A sharp glint flashed in Jiao Yunliu’s eyes before vanishing into concealment.

—

Jiao Yunliu and his guards soon emerged on the surface, where another incarnation of Shan Dan led them to personally greet their guest.

“So this is Brother Dongbo Xueying?” Jiao Yunliu said with a smile.

Dongbo Xueying had just arrived on the planet when he was met by the Third Prince and his entourage. Shan Dan’s true body beside him whispered, “This is His Highness, the Third Prince.”

“Greetings, Your Highness,” Dongbo Xueying said with a slight bow.

“I have been recruiting guards, and I am delighted that Brother Dongbo Xueying has come. However, I would also like to witness your strength firsthand. What do you say?” Jiao Yunliu asked. After all, even among Venerables, power varied greatly, and he needed at least a rough understanding of his guards’ capabilities.

Dongbo Xueying nodded. “I am ready at any time.”

“Then Guard Cong, you shall spar with Guard Dongbo,” Jiao Yunliu declared.

“Understood.”

From the group of guards emerged a towering, pitch-black figure entirely forged of metal—clearly not a flesh-and-blood lifeform.

Dongbo Xueying understood that this was another outsider. Given that this universe’s cultivation system was bloodline-based, all its natives were flesh-and-blood beings. From what Shan Dan had told him earlier, among the Third Prince’s guards, fifteen were from this universe, while five were outsiders. If he joined, he would be the sixth.

“Let us battle in the void,” Guard Cong rumbled in a deep voice, stepping into the starry expanse in a single stride.

Dongbo Xueying followed.

The two faced each other from a distance.

“Begin,” the Third Prince called from below, his guards all looking up. With their keen vision, they could observe the duel clearly.

“ROAR—!”

Guard Cong suddenly let out a deafening roar.

A white beam shot from his mouth, nearly instantaneously reaching Dongbo Xueying. The watching guards remained silent. They knew this was one of Guard Cong’s signature techniques from his universe’s cultivation system—a devastating energy wave nurtured within his body. Most of them wouldn’t dare take it head-on. They assumed this single attack would force ‘Dongbo Xueying’ to exert considerable effort, if not outright defeat him.

Whoosh.

The beam passed through Dongbo Xueying’s body and vanished into the distant void.

Yet Dongbo Xueying remained completely unharmed.

“Hmm?” Guard Cong was stunned. Below, the Third Prince’s eyes gleamed with interest, while the other guards gasped in shock. How could he take the attack directly without a scratch, as if his body were intangible?

“My turn,” Dongbo Xueying said with a faint smile. He had employed the Void World technique—while he appeared to stand in place, his true form had shifted into the Void World. Though the attack had slightly affected the Void World, its residual power was negligible against his physique. He hadn’t even needed to move.

With a flip of his hand, a throwing dagger appeared in his grasp.

This dagger was part of a set of twelve, spoils taken from a Mother Ancestor Sect Protector. Though not a true divine artifact, its sharpness and durability rivaled one. Most weapons from the Mother Ancestor Sect were primitive—clubs, blades, swords—yet they could clash with true divine artifacts without shattering.

“Swish.”

The dagger was hurled—and vanished.

Through the Void World, it had already reached its target.

“Eh? Where’s the dagger?” Guard Cong’s metallic eyes darted around warily. Then his expression twisted in horror—the dagger had already arrived at his chest.

“BOOM!”

Too late to defend.

The strike carried the immense force of Dongbo Xueying’s physical strength, infused with the Dao of Slaughter. Delivered via the Void World, his opponent had no chance to react.

A thunderous impact.

A gaping hole was blasted through Guard Cong’s chest.

The guard stared blankly at the wound, then turned to look behind him—the dagger that had struck him was already gone.

“I concede,” Guard Cong said hoarsely. He knew full well that even if they fought again, he couldn’t withstand that dagger. “Brother Dongbo is truly formidable. I am no match.”

“Guard Cong’s body is extraordinary as well. Even my strike only managed to pierce a hole,” Dongbo Xueying remarked. He had intended to severely wound his opponent while leaving him alive. Yet the dagger’s momentum had nearly dissipated after barely penetrating the chest. The guard’s body was astonishingly resilient.

—

The Third Prince, Jiao Yunliu, was effusive with praise. “Guard Dongbo’s strength is exceptional. However, I notice you lack proper weaponry—not even a single true divine artifact. Are throwing daggers your specialty?”

“No. It’s the spear,” Dongbo Xueying replied.

“The spear…” Jiao Yunliu nodded. “As it happens, I possess a spear—one I stole from my father’s treasure vault.”

With a wave of his hand, he summoned a set of black robes, a silver-white spear, and even a gray warship resembling the one Shan Dan had piloted earlier.

Dongbo Xueying was taken aback.

“Take them. Every guard receives these,” Jiao Yunliu said.

Dongbo Xueying accepted the gifts. As he grasped the silver spear, he sensed its terrifying sharpness—surpassing even his Blood Serpent Spear. Yet its forging method differed from true divine artifacts like the latter. Instead of containing the Dao of the Eternal or the Dao of Creation, it was embedded with layers of ancient, intricate formations.

“A true divine artifact forged via another system?” Dongbo Xueying mused. The weapons left behind by Ancestor Tianyu in the Primordial Ruins were all crafted under the same rule-based mystic system as their own universe. Different cultivation systems often employed entirely distinct forging methods, yet their weapons could be equally formidable.

Take his Black Gourd, for instance—its Void Annihilation Formation could effortlessly manipulate entities on the level of a ‘Solar Star,’ far surpassing any true divine artifact.

“Shan Dan mentioned you seek cultivation methods from other systems?” Jiao Yunliu asked with a smile.

“I am curious to see if they can aid my own cultivation,” Dongbo Xueying admitted.

“Hahaha, that’s only natural. Every cultivation system has its unique aspects.” Jiao Yunliu produced a crystalline block. “This contains the foundational methods of eighteen different universe’s cultivation systems. Some are similar, while others are vastly different.”

He handed the crystal to Dongbo Xueying.

Dongbo Xueying was stunned.

Eighteen universes’ cultivation systems?

Of course.

Though this universe had conquered eight others, there were still connections to smaller and mid-sized universes through spatial passages—making it possible to acquire their methods.

“If you require anything else, do not hesitate to ask,” Jiao Yunliu said warmly. “What I can offer you all is limited to external resources.”

Clutching the crystal, Dongbo Xueying sensed the vast trove of knowledge within—each representing an entire cosmic civilization. He sighed inwardly.

What I need from you are precisely these external resources!

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Dongbo Xueying said, his spirits lifted. Even if he scoured the cosmos himself, he doubted he could amass as many cultivation methods as a prince of the Void God lineage possessed.