Chapter 839: Stepping Out for a Walk

Dongbo Xueying sat cross-legged, the illusory dark world around him manifesting repeatedly, sometimes even trembling and collapsing.

As time passed, the illusory “Dark Realm” that appeared grew increasingly stable.

“It’s truly quite complex.”

“The closer I get to mastering it, the more profound the structure of the Dark Realm becomes,” Dongbo Xueying marveled inwardly. The purpose of the Dark Realm’s existence was for its ultimate destruction—the more stable it was and the more energy it contained, the greater the devastation upon its collapse! Dongbo Xueying continuously pondered his doubts, and gradually…

His confusion about this technique diminished!

Finally, Dongbo Xueying felt a sudden clarity. The first form of the Dark Realm, “Dark Bubble,” was now fully understood, without the slightest uncertainty.

“Have I mastered it?” Dongbo Xueying stared blankly at the Seven-Jade Incensewood walls of the meditation chamber, the faint fragrance lingering at his nose.

“Just like that… I’ve mastered the first form of the Dark Realm?” He felt somewhat dazed.

He had long anticipated this moment, yet even after comprehending the Source of the Void Realm and stepping into the Unity Realm, mastering this technique still left him with complex emotions.

Because he understood what mastering this technique meant!

This supreme art consisted of only two forms.

Mastering the first form alone was enough to clear the fifth level of the Star Tower, making one a true transcendent powerhouse among Unity Realm cultivators. Even against a Chaos Realm giant’s true form, there was hope of survival. In the Five Great Sacred Realms, such a figure would undoubtedly be considered a supreme expert. Against other Unity Realm cultivators—even peak Unity Realm ones—they could sweep through them en masse.

The fifth level already represented strength at the threshold of the Chaos Realm, approaching the true might of Chaos Realm overlords.

“Before, I had the Black Gourd, but first, activating it required removing the stopper to release the fireball, which took an extremely brief moment. If a supremely powerful enemy ambushed me, that instant would be enough for them to strike,” Dongbo Xueying was acutely aware of this. Protective treasures, after all, were not insights of one’s own and had inherent flaws. “Moreover, though its power is immense, its combat technique is too crude—just a simple ‘smash.’ Against a true expert who has cleared the fifth level of the Star Tower, they could easily toy with me.”

Strong power but weak technique—that had been his previous weakness. It was only because the strongest envoy at the Ancient Sacred Sect’s outpost was merely a peak Unity Realm cultivator that the Black Gourd’s fireball could unleash its full might.

Against stronger opponents, the fireball might not even touch them.

“Now, I’ve made up for it in technique.” Dongbo Xueying smiled.

He lightly tapped a finger.

*Whoosh!*

A phantom dark bubble appeared at his fingertip, roughly several meters in diameter. Then, the “illusion turned real”—as it manifested into reality, it naturally drew upon the surrounding world’s energy before rapidly shrinking and abruptly *bursting*. However, only the space inside the bubble shattered, turning the void into pitch-black nothingness. This was a Sacred Realm, where space was incredibly stable—yet it still shattered!

“Though it draws little of the world’s energy, the profound nature of the Dark Bubble ensures the explosion’s power far surpasses my previous spear techniques.” Dongbo Xueying was merely testing it, not unleashing its full might.

To do so would require drawing vast amounts of the world’s energy, creating far too great a disturbance.

“It’s been over eight thousand years since I ate the Spiritheart Fruit.” Dongbo Xueying felt the lingering chill in his soul—the fruit’s unique energy had yet to be fully exhausted.

“I must hurry and comprehend the Traveler’s Secret Treasury!” He couldn’t bear to waste the remaining time of the fruit’s effect. The Path of Slaughter and the Path of Fluctuations were still some distance from reaching the Unity Realm, whereas the Traveler’s Secret Treasury was closer to a breakthrough.

Indeed.

With his Unity Realm soul now far stronger than before, the fruit’s enhancement, and the Seven-Jade Incensewood meditation chamber’s aid, his cultivation speed was astonishingly fast.

In just three hundred years, Dongbo Xueying broke through to the thirtieth layer of the Traveler’s Secret Treasury!

Then, after another six hundred years…

“Ah.”

Dongbo Xueying suddenly opened his eyes, a trace of regret in his gaze. “It’s finally exhausted! The Spiritheart Fruit’s energy is gone. The days of rapid cultivation are over.”

The moment that icy sensation vanished completely, he felt his soul’s comprehension speed plummet. The sense of loss was truly unbearable.

“Still, the fruit’s effects were excellent.” Dongbo Xueying was quite satisfied. “It lasted a full nine thousand years. I was at the Nascent Realm before, and now I’m in the Unity Realm! Since I consumed it, the energy naturally burned quickly. If Jingqiu or Yu’er had eaten it, their souls are far weaker than mine—the consumption would have been much slower, and the effects even better!”

In summary,

Auxiliary cultivation treasures indeed enhanced comprehension—their only flaw was their short duration.

But in these nine thousand years of cultivation, Dongbo Xueying estimated that in the Time Palace, it might have taken one or two billion years just to break through to the Unity Realm in the Void Path, and another one or two billion to master the “Dark Bubble.”

Having tasted the benefits of such treasures, ordinary cultivation now felt unbearably slow.

“The stronger I become, the weaker the aid of cultivation treasures,” Dongbo Xueying mused. “At the Nascent Realm, the Spiritheart Fruit felt immensely helpful. But after entering the Unity Realm, while comprehending the Dark Bubble, its assistance already felt diminished.”

“For a Chaos Realm cultivator, the effect would be minimal.”

At least it would still have some minor use for Chaos Realm experts—for a Cosmic God, it would be utterly useless. Eating it would be a waste.

Moreover, auxiliary cultivation treasures were far too precious and exorbitantly priced. Thus, long periods of cultivation were the norm. Typically, only at critical moments—such as hitting a bottleneck in comprehending a supreme art—would a Chaos Realm overlord spend hundreds of Sourceworld Stones to purchase a rare treasure for assistance. And even then, it might not guarantee a breakthrough!

Auxiliary cultivation treasures were not omnipotent! Dongbo Xueying’s success was due to his innate talent in the Void Path. Even without the fruit, given enough time, he would have succeeded.

—

Outside the Seven-Jade Incensewood meditation chamber…

*Creak.*

The door opened, and the white-robed Dongbo Xueying stepped out. Yuqi Pavilion Master was waiting outside.

“Exactly one hundred thousand years. Elder Dongbo, your urgent seclusion must have yielded great—huh?” Yuqi Pavilion Master was about to offer his congratulations when his expression froze in shock. “Elder Dongbo… you’ve reached the Unity Realm?”

“Yes.” Dongbo Xueying smiled faintly. He had waited until the full one hundred thousand years to emerge because staying in the chamber for that duration required one Sourceworld Stone—anything less would still cost the same.

“Congratulations, congratulations!” Yuqi Pavilion Master said hurriedly. “Elder Dongbo, advancing to the Unity Realm so swiftly—you’ll likely clear the fifth level of the Star Tower soon.”

Little did he know that Dongbo Xueying already possessed the strength to do so.

In the Void Path, Dongbo Xueying’s talent far surpassed that in the Path of Slaughter or the Path of Fluctuations. From a young age, he had grasped the Void True Intent, and even as a Transcendent, his first-grade True Intent had been “World True Intent.” Clearly, he possessed extraordinary aptitude in spatial constructs. Thus, the supreme art “Dark Realm” was perfectly suited to him.

“After deducting one Sourceworld Stone for the chamber, here are your remaining one hundred and eighteen.” Yuqi Pavilion Master respectfully handed over a storage bracelet.

Dongbo Xueying took it and checked inside. The stones within emitted a peculiar glow, and even now, his soul surged with an intense urge to devour them.

“Thank you.”

He turned and strode out. Yuqi Pavilion Master hurriedly escorted him all the way to the main entrance of the Seven Stars Sea Pavilion.

*Whoosh.*

Dongbo Xueying gazed at the distant sun in the sky—the sun of the Sacred Realm.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen the sun.” His mood was excellent. The leap in his strength had broadened his horizons. Now, obtaining even more potent cultivation aids would be far easier than before.

“Time to take a stroll and find a good tavern for a feast.” In high spirits, Dongbo Xueying left the Seven Stars Sea Pavilion and wandered the streets of Tianshui City, searching for a fine establishment to indulge in a grand meal.

—

“Hmm? He’s out?” In a small courtyard, the stout, dark-skinned man known as Black Annihilation Ancestor—who had been sitting cross-legged in his room, constantly extending his senses—suddenly opened his eyes. His dark-gold pupils gleamed with coldness. “You’ve kept this ancestor waiting long enough!”