In the Cultivator’s Universe, within the wooden courtyard of the Blood Blade Divine Court.
Dongbo Xueying, clad in red robes, walked in from outside the courtyard. The Blood Blade Divine Emperor, who had sensed his arrival immediately, looked at his disciple and asked, “Xueying, your avatar has returned from the Demon Mountain Universe. Did you gain anything?”
“Yes.”
The red-robed Dongbo Xueying nodded. “I was fortunate enough to encounter one of the Void Gods in the Demon Mountain Universe. Due to the Third Prince’s influence, I sought his help. As for the essence blood of the Thousand-Eyed Flame Worm… there was no hope at all. However, he did give me the complete ‘Atlas of All Things.'” With that, he flipped his hand and produced a golden circular disk, handing it to his master.
The Blood Blade Divine Emperor’s eyes lit up with excitement as he gazed at the golden disk before him. He reached out to take it and, after a brief moment of sensing its contents, a look of joy spread across his face. A flood of information poured into his mind from the disk, and it took him several breaths to regain his composure.
“Good, good, good,” the Blood Blade Divine Emperor, usually so aloof, now wore an expression of sheer delight, his gaze burning with fervor as he looked at the golden disk in his hand.
He had yearned for this for far too long.
Of the two treasures he coveted most, one was the essence blood of the Thousand-Eyed Flame Worm, and the other was the ‘Atlas of All Things.’ Knowing that the Demon Mountain Universe was far more powerful—seemingly with extraordinary origins, having conquered eight universes and established connections with others—he had asked his disciple for assistance. The true value of the Thousand-Eyed Flame Worm’s essence blood was unclear to him, as it was only briefly mentioned in the inherited records he had discovered. But he knew much more about the ‘Atlas of All Things.’
He was the foremost in artifact forging and formation arrays in the Cultivator’s Universe, all because he had obtained the first and second volumes of the ‘Atlas of All Things,’ achieving extraordinary feats with them.
Indeed.
Both treasures were meant to enhance his own strength.
After touching the threshold of the Void God realm, his power had surged dramatically. He could now fight one against five, and even the five leaders of the Mother Goddess Sect had been wounded in their previous encounter—proof of his current dominance. The stronger he became, the greater his aid would be… If he could break through and become a Void God, he could declare victory in this war.
“Xueying, I’ve longed for this ‘Atlas of All Things’ for so long. I never expected you to find it for me,” the Blood Blade Divine Emperor said with a smile as he looked at Dongbo Xueying.
“It was only thanks to the Island Master of Time and Space discovering the cosmic passageway. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to enter the Demon Mountain Universe,” Dongbo Xueying replied. “It was all luck.”
“Without your strength, none of this would have been possible,” the Blood Blade Divine Emperor nodded. “Be careful there. Have you already gone to the Ancestral Demon Mountain?”
“I have,” Dongbo Xueying confirmed.
“Stay vigilant,” the Blood Blade Divine Emperor warned again. He had no desire to see his disciple perish in the Demon Mountain Universe.
“Understood,” Dongbo Xueying nodded.
—
At the heart of the Demon Mountain Universe, within the Ancestral Demon Mountain.
The thirty-two outer caves were situated at the thirty-two corners of the mountain. At the entrance of one such cave, a white-haired woman sat alone, drinking wine with a gloomy expression, her eyes glinting coldly. “Dongbo Xueying? Where did this so-called ‘Honored One’ come from? I’ve never heard of him before. Seems like he’s from some unfamiliar universe, yet he managed to defeat the Red Fiend Divine Emperor?”
“An Honored One defeating a Ruler?” the white-haired woman muttered, her voice icy. “Now he’s coming to the Ancestral Demon Mountain. He’ll probably challenge me soon.”
She was none other than the third-ranked of the three Honored Ones in the Ancestral Demon Mountain—the Snow God Honored One.
Cold, proud, and ruthless in her pursuit of power, she had sacrificed far too much to secure her place here. Now, Dongbo Xueying’s impending arrival loomed over her like a dark cloud, pressing down on her with unseen weight. Unlike previous challengers, this one had already defeated a Divine Emperor—the Red Fiend Divine Emperor.
“No. I’ve given too much to be here. This is my place. I won’t let anyone take it from me,” she seethed, torn between fury and helplessness.
The rules of the Ancestral Demon Mountain were ironclad. No one dared to manipulate them.
“Go. Keep an eye out. The moment Dongbo Xueying enters the Ancestral Demon Mountain, report back to me immediately,” the white-haired woman ordered an elderly servant beside her. The servant was a puppet lifeform—within the Ancestral Demon Mountain, aside from the Void Gods, the thirty-nine Rulers, and the three Honored Ones, there were no true living beings, only puppets.
“As you command, Master,” the elderly servant bowed and immediately headed for the mountain’s entrance.
The white-haired woman clutched her wine cup, crushing it into powder without realizing it. She gritted her teeth. “No one will take this from me. No one!”
—
Meanwhile, Dongbo Xueying, led by the ‘Malice Ruler,’ left the meteorite and flew toward the entrance of the Ancestral Demon Mountain.
The two descended, landing at the entrance.
A massive platform stretched before them, leading to a gateway flanked by two towering black characters—”Demon Mountain.” The sheer pressure emanating from these two characters made Dongbo Xueying’s heart skip a beat. “Could these characters have been left behind by the legendary Ancestor?” he wondered silently.
What kind of power could exert such pressure with mere words?
“Roar~~~”
“Another newcomer?”
Two voices rang out almost simultaneously.
From the caves on either side of the entrance emerged two figures. One was a massive, monstrous puppet resembling a gorilla with elongated arms, its head adorned with two enormous curved horns, its body forged from strange metal. The other was an unassuming old woman leaning on a cane.
“Greetings, Mountain Guardians,” the Malice Ruler saluted slightly.
Dongbo Xueying followed suit.
“So this is the Honored One Dongbo Xueying you mentioned, here to challenge?” the cane-wielding old woman scrutinized him.
“Yes,” the Malice Ruler confirmed.
“Come,” the old woman and the monstrous puppet led the way, with Dongbo Xueying and the Malice Ruler following behind.
Not far from the entrance lay a tranquil lake.
The old woman and the puppet approached it. She stirred the water with her cane and flicked it casually. A stream of water soared into the air, coalescing into a silver-white soldier who landed clumsily on the ground, his eyes dazed and confused.
“This is a newly formed puppet, still rather dull-witted,” the old woman remarked offhandedly. “Though it’s a Ruler-level puppet, its combat skills are lacking due to its infancy. Still, it’s suitable for testing you Honored Ones.”
“A Ruler-level puppet?” Dongbo Xueying couldn’t help but glance at the lake in astonishment.
The lake was eerily still, without a single ripple.
Yet a mere splash of its water could create a Ruler-level puppet. What kind of lake was this?
“Be careful,” the Malice Ruler warned quietly. “Though newly formed, it’s made from the waters of the Demon Lake. Within the Ancestral Demon Mountain, this lake is the most unfathomable force. Even the Divine Emperors are no match for it. Even a fledgling puppet born from its waters is formidable.”
“Understood,” Dongbo Xueying nodded.
“Little one,” the old woman patted the silver-white soldier’s shoulder and pointed at Dongbo Xueying. “Listen to me. When I give the order, attack him with everything you have.”
Meanwhile…
Elsewhere in the Ancestral Demon Mountain, the white-haired woman’s servant and a few idle Rulers watched from afar, observing the impending battle. They had all heard of this newly risen ‘Dongbo Xueying,’ the Honored One who had defeated the Red Fiend Divine Emperor—a strong contender to enter the Ancestral Demon Mountain.
“So that’s Dongbo Xueying?”
“Never heard of him before. Which universe did he crawl out from?” Some of the Rulers sat in small groups, drinking and chatting as they watched the spectacle unfold below.
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