Yu Jingqiu felt utterly bewildered. In her heart, Dongbo Xueying—whose strength was unfathomable and ranked among the Three Ancestors—had actually collapsed directly within the material world? The rules of the material world were highly protective of life within it. Even beings at the level of the Bloodblade Divine Emperor or the Island Master of Spacetime could only kill a Three Heavens Realm God through the causality of oaths.
What kind of power did Dongbo Xueying possess? He should have been absolutely safe in the material world!
“Xueying, Xueying, wake up, wake up!” Yu Jingqiu attempted to channel a trace of Realm God power into Dongbo Xueying’s body to inspect him. *Ssss*—the moment her energy touched his skin, it was repelled by an invisible force. Even in slumber, the sheer natural might of his physical body alone was beyond her ability to penetrate.
“Mother, what’s wrong? What happened to Father?” The Red Dust Island of the Redstone Mountain was not vast, and Dongbo Yu, who was cultivating atop a peak with his avatar, immediately spotted his father lying on the ground in the distance with his mother beside him. He was equally stunned and instantly teleported over.
But Yu Jingqiu had no time to spare for her son. Her eyes were fixed anxiously on her husband.
*Whoosh!*
She scooped Dongbo Xueying into her arms and dashed toward the nearest house, laying him down on a bed.
By now, the artifact spirit ‘Redstone,’ Dongbo Qingyao, and Dongbo Yu had gathered outside the house, their faces filled with panic and worry.
“What happened to Master?” The artifact spirit Redstone couldn’t believe it. “At his level, and within the material world, how could he fall into such a deep slumber? No matter how we call, he won’t wake!”
“This shouldn’t be happening. He should be completely safe,” Dongbo Qingyao murmured, her heart pounding with anxiety.
Dongbo Yu was equally tense and fearful.
Precisely because he *should* have been absolutely safe yet remained unconscious, the situation was all the more dire. Whatever had struck Dongbo Xueying clearly surpassed even the level of the Bloodblade Divine Emperor and the Abyssal Progenitor.
Inside the house, Yu Jingqiu stood by the bed, gazing at her peacefully sleeping husband, her heart growing heavier with each passing moment.
“Bloodblade Divine Emperor,” Yu Jingqiu called out directly, this time not severing the causal connection. Outside, Dongbo Yu, Dongbo Qingyao, and the artifact spirit Redstone tensed—they understood she was calling upon the Divine Emperor for aid.
“Oh? Yu Jingqiu? What is it?” The Bloodblade Divine Emperor was currently occupied—one of his avatars was deploying the Void Dual-Polarity Array to force the Mother Goddess Cult into the open, while his other two bodies were studying the *Atlas of All Things* that Dongbo Xueying had retrieved from the Demon Mountain Universe. Sensing his gradual progress in the Dao of All Things, the Divine Emperor was in high spirits.
Had an ordinary cultivator dared to call his name, it would have been an affront.
But Yu Jingqiu was Dongbo Xueying’s wife, so the Divine Emperor’s tone remained courteous.
“Xueying has fallen into a deep slumber and cannot be awakened. I beseech Your Majesty to intervene and save him,” Yu Jingqiu pleaded urgently.
“What? I’ll be right there!” The Divine Emperor was shocked.
—
Soon, an avatar descended directly into the material world, arriving at the Redstone Mountain. The artifact spirit Redstone did not hinder his entry.
The Bloodblade Divine Emperor’s projection wore loose white robes. Though his power was greatly suppressed by the material world, his insight and mastery remained intact.
“Your Majesty,” Yu Jingqiu, Dongbo Yu, Dongbo Qingyao, and the artifact spirit Redstone greeted him respectfully.
“Hmm.”
The Divine Emperor glanced at his disciple’s wife and children before turning his gaze to the white-robed youth lying on the bed. A flicker of urgency crossed his expression as he strode forward to stand beside the bed.
“What happened?” The Divine Emperor examined his disciple, then extended a finger to press against Dongbo Xueying’s forehead. An intangible energy seeped inward. Though weakened by the material world, his methods remained profound—much like how the Crimsonfire Patriarch had once helped Dongbo Xueying revive Yu Jingqiu.
*Sssss!*
Dongbo Xueying’s body, tempered to the eighth level of the Traveler’s Hidden Treasury, unleashed a terrifying force that instantly annihilated the Divine Emperor’s probing energy.
“Oh?”
Frowning, the Divine Emperor tried again with a different approach.
After several failed attempts, his eyes suddenly gleamed as twin beams of light enveloped Dongbo Xueying, bypassing his physical defenses to penetrate his body. “This disciple of mine… his body is astonishingly strong. Among Sovereigns, I’d wager half don’t possess physiques as formidable as his. I never realized he had reached such heights.”
The Divine Emperor marveled silently before focusing on inspecting Dongbo Xueying’s soul.
Within the sea of consciousness, Dongbo Xueying’s True God Heart lay dormant, eyes closed in slumber. The Divine Emperor attempted to rouse it, but the moment his energy made contact, an intangible ripple spread outward, brushing against his own consciousness.
*Hum.*
The Divine Emperor’s True God Heart trembled.
For an instant, all his avatars—whether controlling the Void Dual-Polarity Array or studying the *Atlas of All Things*—experienced a fleeting loss of awareness.
His projection instantly dissipated.
“What… what just happened?” The Divine Emperor reformed his avatar, staring in shock at the unconscious Dongbo Xueying. “What kind of attack did Xueying suffer? A mere residual ripple caused me to lose consciousness for a moment. If I were directly exposed to that fluctuation, I might have fallen into eternal slumber.”
The Divine Emperor understood all too well—if the *aftershock* was this terrifying, the true force that had struck Dongbo Xueying must be unimaginable.
“Your Majesty?” Yu Jingqiu, Dongbo Yu, Dongbo Qingyao, and the artifact spirit Redstone watched him anxiously.
“This is… troublesome,” the Divine Emperor muttered, his brow furrowed with unease. “Let me see if others can help.”
Soon, he summoned the few individuals who might have a chance of saving Dongbo Xueying: the Hellsovereign, the Primordial Master, and Pang Yi!
Pang Yi had pioneered his own cultivation path, standing apart from tradition with unparalleled expertise in soul arts. The Primordial Master, the oldest of the Sovereigns, possessed methods second only to the Divine Emperor. The Hellsovereign, too, was a master of soul techniques—his ‘Hell Cycle,’ taught to his subordinates, was a testament to his prowess.
Together, the Bloodblade Divine Emperor, Pang Yi, the Primordial Master, and the Hellsovereign represented the pinnacle of soul mastery.
“What happened to Dongbo Xueying?” The Primordial Master entered the room, astonished at the sight of the slumbering figure.
“To be struck down within the material world—what kind of trouble did he encounter?” Pang Yi was equally shocked.
“Was it the Demon Mountain Universe?” the Hellsovereign asked.
The Divine Emperor nodded grimly. “Xueying ventured into the Demon Mountain Universe, even reaching the ‘Progenitor Demon Mountain,’ to retrieve the *Atlas of All Things* for me. That mountain is no ordinary place—it was left behind by the terrifying being who created the Demon Mountain Universe. Now Xueying lies unconscious. Either three Void Gods intervened, or the dangers of the Progenitor Demon God itself have befallen him. Had I known, I would never have let him take such risks.”
Guilt weighed heavily on the Divine Emperor. He had reaped great benefits from the *Atlas of All Things*, while his disciple now lay in a sleep from which he might never awaken.
“Let us see.” One by one, Pang Yi and the others inspected Dongbo Xueying. Each was stunned by the sheer resilience of his body, but as Sovereigns of the Rule-Oblivion system, all were adept in soul arts and could peer into his soul.
Yet…
The moment any of them attempted to examine Dongbo Xueying’s soul, the same intangible ripple spread, causing their True Gods to momentarily lose awareness. Their avatars shattered, and though they reformed and tried again, they were forced to admit defeat—none could rouse Dongbo Xueying.
“This far surpasses our realm. We cannot wake him,” the Hellsovereign stated calmly. “His fate now rests on his own luck.”
“If we can’t even withstand the residual fluctuations, how can we save him?” Pang Yi shook his head.
“Only time will tell,” the Primordial Master sighed.
The Divine Emperor remained silent, gazing at his disciple on the bed before finally exhaling in resignation.
They could not wake him.
Life or death hung in the balance—his fate was no longer in his own hands.
“Yu Jingqiu, Dongbo Yu, Dongbo Qingyao, leave Xueying’s body here in the material world. Do not take it beyond. If you need anything, seek me directly.” With that, the Divine Emperor’s avatar dispersed. The other three Sovereigns exchanged glances before vanishing as well.
Yu Jingqiu, Dongbo Yu, and Dongbo Qingyao, who had clung to hope, now faced despair. If even the Sovereigns could do nothing, what hope remained?
“Mother…” Dongbo Yu and Dongbo Qingyao turned to Yu Jingqiu.
Though lost herself, she steadied her voice. “We wait. Perhaps… your father will awaken on his own soon.”
“Yes.” The siblings nodded, settling in to wait.
—
One day, two days, three days… Yu Jingqiu and her children kept vigil.
One year, two years, three years… ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand years passed.
Yet Dongbo Xueying remained in slumber.
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