Chapter 739: Protecting His Highness

“Thirty million years.” At the summit of a towering mountain, Dongbo Xueying stood, gazing down upon the vast expanse of the pocket world.

This pocket world harbored no living beings—a deliberate choice by Dongbo Xueying. After all, the might of his cultivation in the *Traveler’s Secret Code* was immense, and even the slightest ripple could annihilate countless lives. Yet, after thirty million years of cultivation, he had now mastered perfect control, ensuring that the descending power of the chaotic void would not spill over in the slightest.

“My current strength far surpasses that of the three Sacred Protectors of old, even eclipsing the Silent Extinction Emperor. When the final battle between our cultivator universe and the Mother Ancestor Sect arrives, I should no longer be a burden,” Dongbo Xueying murmured to himself.

Thirty million years—it was an unfathomably long time.

Before arriving in the Demon Mountain Universe, his cultivation journey had barely spanned a million years, yet he had already achieved such heights.

Now, after thirty million years, with his innate comprehension, he had delved into the Void Formation of the Black Gourd. Not only had his mastery of the *Void Path* reached its ultimate bottleneck, but his understanding of the chaotic void had also deepened immensely, allowing him to push the *Traveler’s Secret Code* to its sixth layer. Only upon reaching this level did Dongbo Xueying truly grasp why the lineage of the Void Travelers was so meticulous in selecting successors!

Even their temperament was scrutinized, lest the inheritance fall into unworthy hands. Truly, this was an extraordinarily heaven-defying cultivation system. Compared to the eighteen widely disseminated systems recorded in the crystal given by the Third Prince, Jiao Yunliu, the Void Traveler lineage held a distinct advantage at the *Venerable* level.

In the future…

When one reached the realm of ancestors like Tianyu or the Sword Lord of the Lakeheart Island, the Rule and Mystery system might stand on par with the Void Traveler lineage.

But in the early stages—at least at the Venerable level—the Void Traveler system utterly dominated all others.

“Being able to enter the Demon Mountain Universe, with its time acceleration of over three thousandfold, is my fortune! Before the final battle, I must seize this opportunity to elevate myself as much as possible.” Dongbo Xueying felt powerful, yet he knew this was not the end. His strength at the Venerable level still had room to grow.

“Boom—”

Suddenly, faint tremors echoed from beyond his pocket treasure.

Dongbo Xueying frowned and looked up. “What’s happening?”

“All guards, protect His Highness at once!” An urgent message crackled through, clearly broadcast to all guards. As an outsider from another universe, Dongbo Xueying had no karmic ties here, but he still carried a communication treasure.

“Protect His Highness?” Dongbo Xueying’s heart lurched.

Whoosh!

He vanished from the pocket world.

—

The Third Prince, Jiao Yunliu, rushed back to his surface palace in exhilaration, barking orders to his guards, “I’m going into seclusion. No one is to disturb me.”

“Yes!”

Four guards answered in unison.

Jiao Yunliu dashed into his private hall alone, sealing the doors behind him. He had just retrieved the golden vial, yet before he could extract the Black Demon Sacred Fruit—

A ripple of energy pulsed through the air.

Jiao Yunliu’s expression darkened. The core formation of this planet, where he resided in seclusion, was under his control, and he immediately sensed an enemy force breaching its defenses.

Whoosh.

He bolted out, reaching the palace gates in an instant. There, hovering in the sky, stood a group of figures led by a man clad in golden armor. The man bore crimson scales, a dark red scale marking his forehead, and bore a striking resemblance to Jiao Yunliu—save for his colder, more ruthless gaze.

“Elder Brother?” Jiao Yunliu’s face twisted with fury.

“My pitiful little brother, I’ve come to visit again,” the golden-armored man sneered. “Your luck is truly remarkable—discovering a Black Demon Sacred Fruit Tree, tsk tsk tsk. Now that it’s ripe, hand it over to your elder brother.”

Jiao Yunliu’s gaze swept over his four guards. Gone was his usual amiability; instead, a trace of madness flickered in his eyes. He gritted his teeth. “Which one of you betrayed me?”

Among these four guards, two had been present when the Black Demon Sacred Fruit Tree was discovered, while the other two were his most trusted personal attendants.

Yet…

Now that the secret was out, and he himself would never leak it, the traitor had to be one of these four.

“Not us.”

“We reported the discovery of the tree to you immediately, Your Highness. Had we betrayed you, we wouldn’t have informed you at all,” two guards hastily defended.

“My incompetent little brother, still unable to figure it out even now? Cha Yunong, your mission is complete. No need to linger by my brother’s side any longer,” the golden-armored man mocked. Instantly, a tall guard in gray armor soared into the air, joining the golden-armored man’s entourage. “He never suspected me. I could have stayed longer.”

“Cha—”

Jiao Yunliu stared in disbelief at the gray-armored guard. “You… you betrayed me? Why? Why?”

Of all his guards, Cha Yunong had been the one he trusted most.

His wife was Cha Yunong’s blood sister! For this reason, the Third Prince had showered Cha Yunong with favor. Among his guards, Cha Yunong had the lowest innate talent—without Jiao Yunliu’s unwavering support, he would never have reached his current strength.

“Fool,” Cha Yunong scoffed, too lazy to elaborate.

“Little Brother, still planning to resist?” The golden-armored man smirked.

“Third Prince,” a red-haired, one-eyed elder beside the golden-armored man boomed, his voice thunderous. “There’s no need to struggle. Hand over the Black Demon Sacred Fruit to the First Prince! Otherwise, you and all your guards will perish.”

In the Demon Mountain Universe, even the children of Void Gods warred among themselves.

As long as no true soul annihilation occurred, the Void Gods paid no heed. Without trials and tribulations, even the noblest bloodlines would struggle to grow stronger. In fact, the Void Gods secretly orchestrated these conflicts, setting traps to temper their offspring!

“Red Demon Divine Emperor…” Jiao Yunliu gnashed his teeth.

For years, he had been locked in struggle with the First Prince, always at a disadvantage—all because of this foreign overlord, the Red Demon Divine Emperor!

With an overlord aiding his elder brother, their strengths were utterly mismatched. Every confrontation ended in bitter defeat. His elder brother, cold and cruel, delighted in tormenting him, while their father, Jiao Yun the Great, who secluded himself in the depths of the Ancestral Demon Mountain, watched indifferently, unwilling to intervene.

“Hand it over. This time, I’m in a good mood—I won’t toy with you,” the golden-armored man said, though madness and greed flickered in his eyes. He had never expected his younger brother to stumble upon a Black Demon Sacred Fruit Tree. Had he not feared his brother destroying the tree, he would have struck long ago. Only now, with the fruit ripe and nearly indestructible, did he reveal himself openly. With this sacred treasure, he too could awaken and ascend to the overlord level.

“Never,” Jiao Yunliu growled.

“Pity you can’t even destroy it. Since you refuse, I’ll have to take it by force.” The golden-armored man sighed. “When we attack, show no mercy. Kill them all and retrieve the fruit.”

“Yes!” His guards roared in unison.

The golden-armored man then glanced at the Red Demon Divine Emperor—his true trump card. Winning the allegiance of an overlord had cost him dearly. The Divine Emperor gave a slight nod.

“Boom—”

Jiao Yunliu stood his ground, but the palace behind him erupted with layers of formations. Across the entire planet, arrays flared to life, their power surging like tidal waves.

Shielded within these formations, Jiao Yunliu retreated a step into the palace. Through the gates, he glared at his enemies and bellowed, “Jiao Yunteng! You’ll never get it! I’d rather die than let you have it!”

“Die? It’s just a clone of yours. You’re my dear brother—how could I truly kill you?” The golden-armored man chuckled. “And you’re wrong about one thing. Once we slaughter you all, the Black Demon Sacred Fruit will be mine. You can’t stop it.”

“All guards, protect His Highness!” Another personal guard, anxiety creeping into his voice, sent out the call.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

Instantly, guards stationed across the planet’s scattered abodes rushed to the scene. The planet was small—even flying at normal speeds, they arrived at the palace in moments. Among them was Dongbo Xueying, who had heeded the summons.

The golden-armored man scanned the arriving guards and sneered. “Fools, all of them. Attack! Wipe them out!”