Dongbo Xueying was still concerned about the damage the golden flames from the Black Gourd could inflict upon the cosmos. Just as he plugged the stopper back in, the artifact spirit immediately transmitted a warning—but it was already too late! Gu Qianluo’s ambush was designed to be utterly unexpected and lightning-fast!
“Not good!” Dongbo Xueying had no time to manipulate the Black Gourd. With a single thought, he immediately retreated into the Void World, his body vanishing into thin air. By now, Dongbo Xueying had mastered the Void Path and ascended to the realm of a Ruler. While the Void Path was exceptionally weak in offensive combat, it formed its own independent world, making it extraordinarily potent for survival. Even some weaker Rulers might find it impossible to locate Dongbo Xueying’s true form.
*Hum—*
The attack unleashed by Gu Qianluo through the Chaos Vessel swept across the space where Dongbo Xueying had stood moments ago, distorting time and space. Faintly, Dongbo Xueying’s figure could be glimpsed within another world. The attack’s fluctuations forcibly penetrated the fully formed Void World, but its power was drastically diminished, reduced to a mere fraction of its original force.
*Pfft—* The assault invaded Dongbo Xueying’s body, but his form was like the void itself, effortlessly dispersing most of the attack. The remaining energy merely caused his blood to boil momentarily, flushing his face—not even enough to make him spit blood.
“What? He wasn’t even injured?” Gu Qianluo, inside the Chaos Vessel, was incredulous. Though this attack prioritized speed and surprise over raw power, it still reached the threshold of a Void God’s strike—comparable to the combined assault of Bloodblade Divine Emperor’s two avatars and the Blackbird’s Fifth Uncle.
Yet such force couldn’t even make Dongbo Xueying bleed? His defensive capabilities were truly absurd.
…
What Gu Qianluo didn’t know was this:
A Voidwalker’s body was akin to the void itself—ethereal and resistant to force. Coupled with its innate resilience, even at the eleventh layer of the Walker’s Hidden Treasury, Dongbo Xueying’s physical form surpassed that of most Matriarchal Sect leaders. His body alone rivaled that of a top-tier Ruler. Thus, harming a Voidwalker was inherently difficult.
Moreover, Dongbo Xueying’s Void Path was an extreme survival-oriented branch within the Rule and Mystery system, forming an independent Void World. Killing a Voidwalker hiding within such a realm was an almost insurmountable challenge.
“Gu Qianluo!” Dongbo Xueying glared at his assailant and immediately unstopped the Black Gourd. *Boom—* A torrent of golden flames surged forth once more, flooding the real world and crashing toward the Chaos Vessel.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The golden flames engulfed the vessel, yet it remained unscathed. Gu Qianluo, unfazed by the flames, was already strategizing his next move against Dongbo Xueying.
“Damn it!” Seeing the Chaos Vessel unharmed, Dongbo Xueying gritted his teeth and ceased channeling the Black Gourd, sealing it once more.
“Your golden flames are too violent, too destructive—they harm your own cosmos. I thought you’d keep unleashing them until this cosmic epoch collapsed,” Gu Qianluo’s icy voice echoed through the void.
“Master, don’t worry. Your use of the Black Gourd was brief, and the flames’ range was limited. The damage to the cosmos is minimal,” the artifact spirit reassured.
“Mm.” Dongbo Xueying gripped the Black Gourd, emerging from the void, his gaze cold as he stared at the distant Chaos Vessel.
Bloodblade Divine Emperor, Qing Jun, Yuanchu Master, Abyssal Ancestor, and the other Rulers were furious. Bloodblade Divine Emperor roared, “Gu Qianluo! You chose Northmystic Palace Master and pledged to aid us! Yet now, not only do you assist the Matriarchal Sect—whose First Sacrificial Tower we’ve already seized—but you also ambush Xueying?”
“Hahaha… I did choose that little Northmystic Palace Master and swore an oath with her. But I’ve broken no vow—she remains safe in my Chaos Vessel, unharmed by me,” Gu Qianluo’s voice rang out mockingly. “As for my promise to help you? You still believe in promises? How laughable!”
The Rulers seethed with anger. For a being of Gu Qianluo’s stature to so blatantly disregard his word was shameless beyond measure.
…
Inside the Chaos Vessel, the colossal statue of Gu Qianluo taunted while carefully observing Dongbo Xueying, plotting his next move.
He had never given up.
The Black Gourd was a treasure of the Dao—worth any cost to obtain.
“Very well.”
“This is the plan. I’ll stake everything.” Gu Qianluo swiftly settled on his strategy.
…
Though Dongbo Xueying had reappeared, he remained within the Void World, vigilant.
*Thud!*
A strange sound reverberated directly in his soul. However, Dongbo Xueying’s soul, fortified by the complete *Walker’s Hidden Treasury*, easily resisted it. Still, his expression darkened as he unstopped the Black Gourd once more. Golden flames surged out, this time forming a protective sphere around him, barely three meters in radius.
The damage to the cosmos depended on the quantity and range of the flames. This minimal usage inflicted negligible harm.
*Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.*
Dongbo Xueying’s caution proved justified.
After the initial soul attack came eerie winds, emerging from the void. Though weakened by the Void World and further blocked by the golden flames, they still posed a threat.
“This Gu Qianluo…” Spacetime Island Lord, Yuanchu Master, Abyssal Ancestor, Qing Jun, and Lady Ganhe watched in shock as massive array patterns manifested around the Chaos Vessel. Layer upon layer of sinister attacks descended—three targeting the soul (sound, curses, etc.), others assaulting the body, and some erasing entire regions of space.
Array patterns flickered in and out of existence.
Gu Qianluo gnashed his teeth. The colossal statue was merely an outward manifestation—his true form sat cross-legged inside the Chaos Vessel, frantically manipulating its power. His injuries worsened with each desperate attack.
“If I obtain the Black Gourd, it’ll all be worth it. Once I have it, I’ll leave this cosmos immediately, let Sang Dan pilot the vessel, and return to slumber,” Gu Qianluo thought, attacking with maddened fury.
Yet—
A treasure of the Dao was named so for a reason. Offense was secondary; its true purpose was *protection*.
Under the control of the Void Array, the raging golden flames became docile, forming a flawless sphere around Dongbo Xueying. Layer upon layer, they interwove seamlessly. Though Gu Qianluo’s attacks were terrifying—some barely weakened by the Void World—the golden sphere absorbed most, and the remnants (like soul attacks) were useless against Dongbo Xueying. The rest couldn’t even scratch him.
“I can’t kill him? No, no, NO—!” Gu Qianluo was on the verge of madness.
Among the Bone Ancestor’s disciples, the Saints competed ruthlessly—the weak perished.
Once near the bottom, he had gambled everything to venture into the Chaos Void. Though he’d survived countless dangers, the Black Gourd was the greatest treasure within his grasp. Despite his fears, he had to try—but the results only drove him further into frenzy. He refused to accept defeat!
…
“Hmm?”
Bloodblade Divine Emperor observed the Chaos Vessel from afar, watching as colossal array patterns materialized in the surrounding void. A master of arrays himself—having created the *Void Dual-Pole Array* and the Twelve Yuan Chen Pillars as a Ruler—he was mesmerized by the intricate formations activating before him. Unlike the records in *The Tome of All Things*, these were real, functioning arrays. Their mysteries, so close to his own comprehension, unveiled themselves before his eyes.
Gradually—
His expression froze. In his mind, a thunderous realization struck. The hazy, elusive new world he’d glimpsed for so long finally unfolded clearly before him.
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