Chapter 777: The Decision

Dongbo Xueying also held his wife’s hand—yes, he still had them.

But his wife had cultivated for countless years in her past life and spent over two billion years in the Demon Mountain Universe, yet she remained stuck at the bottleneck of the Fourth Heaven Realm God, unable to transcend. Without transcendence, her soul would eventually dissipate, leading to death.

…

In the years that followed, Dongbo Xueying’s black-robed avatar continued cultivating in the Primordial Land, while his true self sought ways to aid his wife and son. He gathered rare cultivation manuals and cosmic treasures, even orchestrating secret arrangements to guide them during their explorations of ancient ruins.

Time flowed on.

In the blink of an eye, ten billion years had passed since Dongbo Xueying became a Paragon. Within the cultivator universe, his status grew ever more unshakable. In the current Cosmic Deity Rankings set by the Primordial Master, the first place belonged to the Bloodblade Divine Emperor, while the second was now Dongbo the Divine Emperor. The third was the Infernal Paragon, and the fourth was Qingjun…

“Hahaha, Xueying, do you really think this move can hurt me?” On a floating continent in the starry void, two figures stood facing each other from a distance.

One was the Bloodblade Divine Emperor in dark red robes, while the other was Dongbo Xueying in white.

This landmass had been personally forged by the Bloodblade Divine Emperor as his usual cultivation ground. In the entire universe now, only Dongbo Xueying could spar with him. Even then, they had to restrain their power, limiting themselves to the mysteries of laws and techniques, never unleashing their full strength.

The *Walker’s Secret Code* had long been elevated to the twentieth layer, but with such power, Dongbo Xueying dared not wield it recklessly within the universe.

The Bloodblade Divine Emperor had always been formidable, and after stepping into the Void God realm, his strength had grown even more unfathomable.

“Master, don’t get too smug. Last time, someone ended up eating dirt after I kicked them,” Dongbo Xueying teased. Their sparring was purely about techniques, as they refrained from using formations or physical might. With three Chaos-level supreme arts—*Shadowless Heaven’s Net*, *Three Thousand Avatars*, and *Scripture of Divine Radiance*—alongside the countless precious texts left by the Ancestor in the Demon Mountain, Dongbo Xueying’s combat skills were incredibly profound. Last time, he had used illusions and *Three Thousand Avatars* to catch the Bloodblade Divine Emperor off guard.

Of course, the Bloodblade Divine Emperor had forbidden all formations, restricting the battle to pure law mysteries—hence his momentary lapse.

The Bloodblade Divine Emperor merely replied calmly, “That was carelessness on my part.”

“Then try this next move,” Dongbo Xueying said. “This is the eighth chapter of *The Ripples of the Dao*, a technique I recently created.”

“Oh?” The Bloodblade Divine Emperor’s eyes gleamed with interest.

“Here I come.”

Dongbo Xueying’s figure blurred, leaving only a faint afterimage as he appeared before the Bloodblade Divine Emperor without disturbing the slightest ripple in the air. The wind still blew, the grass remained undisturbed—yet his speed was so terrifying that even other Paragons would gape in shock. The Bloodblade Divine Emperor barely had time to react before Dongbo Xueying vanished again, leaving another blurred trace as he reappeared in the distance.

“Such speed!” The Bloodblade Divine Emperor was inwardly stunned. His law domain was immensely powerful, allowing him to discern that Dongbo Xueying wasn’t relying on physical strength but pure law mysteries to achieve such velocity.

Suddenly—

Another Dongbo Xueying appeared in a different location.

Then, a third materialized behind the Bloodblade Divine Emperor. Now, there were three of them!

In a flash, all three lunged at the Bloodblade Divine Emperor simultaneously, each wielding a spear. Their thrusts were deceptively simple, yet they left only faint afterimages before reaching their target.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

The Bloodblade Divine Emperor blocked with both hands, but inwardly, he was struggling. *This brat’s speed is absurd! I can barely keep up. I was planning to intimidate him with a new technique, but now he’s forcing my hand.*

*Boom—!*

Countless crimson blades erupted from the Bloodblade Divine Emperor’s body, obliterating everything in all directions. Dongbo Xueying hastily retreated.

The blades swirled around the Bloodblade Divine Emperor, forming a colossal sphere—a flawless, natural construct that resembled the movement of a sun.

“Well?” the Bloodblade Divine Emperor smirked.

“You didn’t use this last time,” Dongbo Xueying remarked, surprised.

“Back then, my Bloodblade Dao had just reached the ‘Void’s Birth’ stage and wasn’t yet stabilized. Now, after some refinement, it’s different.” The Bloodblade Divine Emperor admitted privately that, without formations, Void God energy, or physical strength, he had nearly lost. His disciple was truly extraordinary.

Dongbo Xueying sighed inwardly. *A Void God is still a Void God. Without the* Walker’s Secret Code*, defeating him is nearly impossible.* Even with three Chaos-level supreme arts, his strength far surpassed ordinary Paragons—yet it still wasn’t enough.

Still, he wondered—if he truly went all-out, how far could he push his master? His greatest strength lay in the *Walker’s Secret Code*, but the Bloodblade Divine Emperor’s true power came from the ‘Sorcerer’ system, amplified by Void God energy.

“Master,” Dongbo Xueying spoke up, “there’s something I must ask of you.”

“Hah! In this universe, aside from me, no one can match you. What could you possibly need my help with?” the Bloodblade Divine Emperor laughed. “Speak.”

“I hope you can watch over my family in my stead,” Dongbo Xueying said.

“Me?” The Bloodblade Divine Emperor frowned. “What about you?” His disciple was a Paragon with three bodies—why would he need protection?

“I plan to leave the universe,” Dongbo Xueying said. “To venture into the Chaos Void.”

“The Chaos Void?” The Bloodblade Divine Emperor was stunned. “You’re not a Void God. How can you enter?”

Dongbo Xueying nodded. “I have a way. Bone Qian Luo relied on a Chaos airship to traverse the void. I have my own methods.”

He had pondered this for a long time.

The loss of his parents, Uncle Zong, Uncle Tong, and his younger brother had deeply affected him—they were his family. Over the past ten billion years, he had done everything to help his wife Jingqiu and son transcend. But transcendence was no easy feat. External aid could only go so far; the final breakthrough had to come from within.

Ten billion years had passed, and Jingqiu still hadn’t broken through. Dongbo Xueying feared the day would come when she, too, would reach her limit.

He couldn’t bear that outcome.

What was the purpose of cultivation?

Strength? Invincibility?

From childhood, Dongbo Xueying had cultivated for the sake of his family. If his loved ones were gone, what meaning did power hold? Life would be nothing but an empty shell.

Perhaps other Paragons and mighty figures had once grieved for lost kin, but the passage of time had dulled their pain, redirecting their focus solely to cultivation. Dongbo Xueying couldn’t do that. Maybe, one day, he too would immerse himself in training to forget.

But that wasn’t the path he wanted.

Staying in the cultivator universe meant no danger, no trials, no great opportunities, and no encounters with formidable experts. His progress would stagnate. Only by stepping into the wider cosmos could he grow faster—and perhaps find treasures to increase his family’s chances of transcendence.

“You’re truly leaving?” the Bloodblade Divine Emperor asked.

“Yes,” Dongbo Xueying affirmed.

“Where?”

“The Seven Seas Sacred Realm.”

“Do you plan to return?”

“Before the end of this cosmic epoch, I will come back,” Dongbo Xueying said.

“According to my senses, this epoch has roughly 1.36 trillion years remaining,” the Bloodblade Divine Emperor said.

“I’ll return within a trillion years,” Dongbo Xueying vowed.

A trillion years—an unfathomable span.

But only with such time could he hope to find the means to help his family transcend. As for their lifespans? If they couldn’t break through, they could reside in a pocket world where time flowed at an excruciatingly slow pace—one ten-thousandth of the outside rate. The energy cost was negligible to Dongbo Xueying.

A billion years for his wife and son inside would equate to a trillion outside.

By the time he returned, everything would be different. No longer would he stand helpless, watching them inch toward their doom.

“You’re only a Paragon, yet you dare leave the universe?” The Bloodblade Divine Emperor shook his head. “The Chaos Void is perilous.”

“I understand,” Dongbo Xueying said. The Voidwalker’s legacy had already warned him of the dangers.

“Why not wait until the end of the cosmic epoch? With your talent, by then, you might rival the Demon Ancestor himself,” the Bloodblade Divine Emperor said. “At that point, few in the void could threaten you.”

“For my family,” Dongbo Xueying answered simply.

The Bloodblade Divine Emperor froze.

Family?

A long-buried memory surfaced—a figure from the distant past. It was precisely Dongbo Xueying’s devotion to his wife that had moved him to take the young man as his disciple.

“I see,” the Bloodblade Divine Emperor murmured. Once, he had exhausted every means to elevate his own wife to a First Heaven Realm God, yet she had still perished when her soul crumbled. Had she reached the Fourth Heaven, perhaps he, too, would have done anything to help her transcend.

He understood Dongbo Xueying’s resolve—and so, he did not stand in his way.