Chapter 854: Unable to Display?

Just as the Sky Sword Sect Master was about to speak, Lady Yizi arrived, carrying fine delicacies and wine. She personally poured a cup for Dongbo Xueying, saying, “Senior Feixue, this is my handcrafted ‘Sword Rain’ fruit wine. Normally, I only serve it to my father.” With that, she handed the cup to Dongbo Xueying.

Dongbo Xueying smiled and took a sip. With a single taste, he knew this fruit wine wasn’t of the highest grade—he had sampled many top-tier wines in the Taixu Temple.

Yet, the wine was rich and intoxicating, evoking a faint sense of descending into an illusion.

“Interesting,” Dongbo Xueying praised.

“My daughter has quite a talent for brewing wine, though her cultivation aptitude is somewhat lacking. She only barely managed to reach the Void God level after much struggle,” the Sky Sword Sect Master remarked.

Dongbo Xueying shook his head gently. “That’s already quite good. As long as one can become a True God and attain eternal life, able to accompany loved ones forever, that is enough.” His own wife and son were still stuck at the Four Heavens World God level, not even True Gods yet—this remained his greatest regret.

“Indeed, eternal life and companionship are enough,” the Sky Sword Sect Master sighed. After his long years of cultivation, his daughter was the only family he had left.

“Yizi, you may leave now,” the Sky Sword Sect Master instructed.

“Yes, Father,” Lady Yizi obediently withdrew.

Once the courtyard was empty again, the Sky Sword Sect Master continued, “To enter the Ninecloud Emperor’s treasure vault, we need five golden hairpins. Between the two of us, we only have two. However, I have a close friend who knows of other cultivators who can gather the remaining three. Of course, he hasn’t told me exactly who holds those hairpins, but as long as we secure our two, we can ally with his group.”

“An alliance?” Dongbo Xueying frowned. “If we meet, could we be ambushed? There might even be Chaos Realm overlords secretly hunting for these hairpins.”

“Rest assured,” the Sky Sword Sect Master chuckled. “If we meet, it will be in a city built by Lord Chunyi. The nearest one is ‘Chunyu City.’ Even Chaos Realm experts wouldn’t dare act recklessly there—not even the overlords from the Three Sacred Realms or the Two Great Sects would risk offending Lord Chunyi.”

Dongbo Xueying nodded.

The true master of the Ninecloud Continent was, after all, Lord Chunyi. Though he remained aloof from the conflicts between the two great factions, he had no desire to see his secluded land destroyed. Thus, he had established strict rules.

For instance, spatial teleportation arrays were forbidden, making travel across the vast continent extremely difficult.

Additionally, he had built twelve cities scattered across the land, each guarded by his own avatar and reinforced with personally crafted formations. While an avatar of a Cosmic God couldn’t normally slay a Chaos Realm overlord, within these cities—empowered by formations—it was a different story.

These twelve cities were inviolable sanctuaries, where powerful cultivators who sought peace could reside without fear.

“If you agree, I’ll notify my friend,” the Sky Sword Sect Master said.

“Very well. The Ninecloud Emperor’s treasure is an opportunity not to be missed,” Dongbo Xueying replied.

“Ha! Every cultivator on this continent dreams of it,” the Sky Sword Sect Master laughed before sending a message. Moments later, he confirmed, “They’ve agreed. We’ll meet in Chunyu City. Some of them already reside there, while others are nearby. The latest arrival will take fifty million years. My journey will take eighty million. For safety, Brother Feixue, we should travel separately.”

“Understood,” Dongbo Xueying agreed.

He understood the caution. By traveling alone, each could choose their own route, making ambushes impossible.

“The journey is long. I’ll depart tomorrow,” Dongbo Xueying said.

“My trip will take eighty million years—no need for you to rush,” the Sky Sword Sect Master quickly added, hoping his daughter might still have a chance to bond with this expert. If she could become his disciple, all the better. After all, Dongbo Xueying had just broken through and might yet reach the pinnacle of the Unity Realm.

A warrior of the fifth level of the Star Tower would be a high-ranking figure even in the Three Sacred Realms. On the Ninecloud Continent, unless the Chaos Realm overlords intervened, he would be unstoppable.

Even if he progressed no further, his strength matched the Sky Sword Sect Master’s—and he had saved his life.

“I’ve only recently left seclusion and wish to explore the world a while longer,” Dongbo Xueying said.

“In that case, I won’t keep you, Brother Feixue,” the Sky Sword Sect Master smiled. “We’ll meet in Chunyu City and venture into the treasure together.”

—

The next day, Dongbo Xueying bid farewell and left. On the Sky Sword Mountain, Lady Yizi watched him go with reluctance, filled with admiration and gratitude. She had even hoped to become his disciple, but he had departed too swiftly.

In the following years, Dongbo Xueying wandered the Ninecloud Continent, marveling at the remnants of the Primal Ancient Sacred World. Occasionally, he meditated in the wilderness. Whenever he encountered injustice—such as demons devouring entire villages—he acted without hesitation, slaying them after a brief soul inspection. Sometimes, he even imparted guidance to young talents.

Fifty million years passed in a blink.

Atop a mountain peak, inside a wooden hut, Dongbo Xueying stepped out, frowning.

“*The Dark World*’s second form—I’ve grasped all its mysteries, yet I still can’t execute it. Why?”

During his 18 billion years in the Taixu Temple’s Time Hall, he had mastered the *Thirteen Annihilation Swords* and *Wave Diagram* to the fifth level of the Star Tower. He had even simplified the fifth sword into *Fish-Dragon Slaughter*. As for his strongest path, the Void World Dao, he had long since deciphered the intricacies of the second form, *Heaven’s Execution Blade*—yet he couldn’t unleash it.

He had even refined the first form, *Dark Bubble*, tailoring it perfectly to himself.

Now, after fifty million years of travel, his cultivation remained relentless.

“What’s the issue?”

“I’ve comprehended everything. There’s no confusion regarding *Heaven’s Execution Blade*, yet it refuses to manifest.” The frustration gnawed at him. “I’ve already simplified the fifth Annihilation Sword and made progress on the sixth. At this rate, I might master the sixth before ever executing *Heaven’s Execution Blade*.”

Unlike the Taixu Temple’s techniques, which were straightforward once learned, *The Dark World*’s second form remained elusive. The Dark World’s creator had left no explanation.

“Could my understanding be flawed? Impossible. With my mastery of the Void World Dao, I wouldn’t make such a basic error.” He pondered. “There must be something I’m missing.”

“It’s time to go.”

“To Chunyu City.”

With a sweep of his senses, he confirmed no cultivators lurked within 300 million miles.

*Whoosh.*

A spatial vortex, a hundred zhang wide, twisted into existence. Dongbo Xueying stepped into the passage and vanished.

The Ninecloud Continent was vast. The Sky Sword Sect Master had chosen his mountain’s location to be relatively close to one of Lord Chunyi’s cities—his eighty-million-year journey was considered short.

But Dongbo Xueying’s spatial vortex travel was incomparable.

Three hundred years later, he emerged in a desolate area. After a brief flight through the void, he spotted the ancient grandeur of Chunyu City, its towering walls shimmering with radiant formations.

*Swoosh.*

Streaking toward the gates, he landed and strode past the entrance effortlessly—the formations posed no barrier to a Unity Realm expert.

The city awaited.