Chunyue City, a fortress constructed by the Cosmic Deity ‘Chunyi Fazu’, gathered cultivators whose numbers and quality surpassed even those of the Chaos Cities under the command of the Tai Xu Heavenly Palace. The Sevenstar Sea Sacred Realm was relatively much safer, with the two great sects at most sending avatars of Chaos Realm experts to infiltrate secretly. Moreover, within the Sevenstar Sea Sacred Realm, those of sufficient status could usually report directly to supreme beings like Ancestor Tianyu and the Primordial Mountain Founder, who would descend in person via avatars.
Thus, experts capable of reaching the fifth level of the Star Tower could carve out their own territories within the three great Sacred Realms, utterly unafraid of the two great sects.
But the ‘Ninecloud Continent’ was different!
Here, the two great sects maintained a long-term presence of Chaos Realm experts, making it far less secure. Those seeking undisturbed cultivation preferred to reside within the cities built by Chunyi Fazu, under the protection of the Law Ancestor.
“Creak.”
Pushing open the courtyard gate, Dongbo Xueying, clad in white, stepped out. “The slowest of them all, the Heavenly Sword Sect Master, has finally arrived.”
He had just received word—the Heavenly Sword Sect Master had contacted him to gather at the rendezvous point, ready to set off for the treasure of Emperor Jiuyun.
“In Tianshui City, there isn’t a single expert at the fifth level of the Star Tower, and only three at the fourth level,” Dongbo Xueying mused, gazing at the majestic city teeming with formidable auras. After three million years, he was quite familiar with Chunyue City. “But here in Chunyue City, there’s one expert at the fifth level, a full twelve at the fourth level, and an intimidating number at the third level…”
In terms of elite cultivators, the Sacred Realms naturally had more. However, they were scattered. The Sacred Realms housed numerous Chaos Realm overlords. Take the Sevenstar Sea Sacred Realm—aside from the Tai Xu Heavenly Palace, the Primordial Island, and the Yaoguang Sacred Realm, due to its vastness, there were Chaos-level factions in many remote regions. Over half of the Chaos Realm overlords preferred independence over allegiance to the holy lands, ruling their own domains beyond anyone’s control.
Even the ‘Sand Ancestor Palace’ of the Eastern Scale Sacred Realm had not submitted to any Cosmic Deity.
…
Dongbo Xueying traversed the city through the void, soon arriving outside another courtyard.
At the gate stood a True God-level puppet creature, which raised a hand to block his path. “Halt.”
“Five,” Dongbo Xueying said—the passphrase given by the Heavenly Sword Sect Master.
“Enter.” The puppet creature stepped aside.
Dongbo Xueying walked in.
The courtyard was modest. Passing through the front yard, he soon saw three figures gathered in the main hall, none of whom he recognized.
“Brother Feixue,” the Heavenly Sword Sect Master transmitted mentally. “I’m here—the one in golden robes on the left. Why haven’t you altered your appearance?”
Dongbo Xueying remained in his white robes and silver mask, his hair snowy white.
“For this meeting, everyone else has changed their aura and appearance to avoid revealing their true identities. If word gets out about the treasure later, it could invite trouble,” the Heavenly Sword Sect Master continued. “After this, if I succeed in obtaining any treasure, I’ll likely reside permanently in Chunyue City, sending only avatars back to the Heavenly Sword Mountain. You should also be cautious—don’t expose yourself.”
“Forgive me, Brother Heavenly Sword,” Dongbo Xueying replied mentally. “This current form is already my altered appearance. When I intervened in your conflict with the Flame Valley Master, I wasn’t entirely confident. I didn’t want to fail and then earn the enmity of such a formidable foe.”
The golden-robed Heavenly Sword Sect Master was momentarily stunned.
So… this ‘Feixue’ wasn’t even in his true form to begin with.
“The fourth has arrived,” one of the three seated figures in the hall announced. Aside from the golden-robed Heavenly Sword Sect Master, there was a black-cloaked figure shrouded in faint mist, their gender indiscernible, and a burly man with disproportionately thick arms, exuding a savage aura.
“Sit,” the burly man said. “We await the last.”
“Mm.” Dongbo Xueying made no attempt at conversation, simply taking a seat.
Silence settled over the four in the hall. All understood they were gathered solely for mutual benefit—to utilize each other’s golden hairpins. Once inside the treasure vault, they would become rivals. Tales of treasure hunters turning on one another were common, so caution prevailed. None wished to reveal their identities.
Moments later, the final figure arrived—a woman in loose gray robes, her features plain but her eyes radiating an intangible pressure.
“Hmm?” Dongbo Xueying felt a tremor in his heart upon meeting her gaze. “Third-level mind-heart?”
The mind-heart was divided into three tiers.
Though his home universe had produced several Void Gods, only the Swordmaster and the Demon Ancestor had reached the third level. Despite his exceptional comprehension, Dongbo Xueying’s time in the Tai Xu Heavenly Palace had been largely spent in seclusion, with few breakthroughs in the mind-heart realm.
The Demon Ancestor and Swordmaster had once been rivals. Initially, the Demon Ancestor was stronger, but the Swordmaster eventually surpassed him. The Demon Ancestor, fixated on surpassing his foe, ultimately achieved a mental breakthrough.
Compared to their fierce competition, Dongbo Xueying’s experiences paled.
“This woman has reached the third level, yet she doesn’t conceal it? Does she possess absolute confidence?” Dongbo Xueying marveled inwardly. Had she suppressed her aura, he wouldn’t have sensed her terrifying will.
“Now that we’re all here,” the burly man rose, barely sparing a glance for the gray-robed woman. A high mind-heart realm didn’t necessarily equate to combat prowess. Some cultivation systems, like the Witchcraft and Rule-Oriented paths, valued the mind-heart, while others, like Devouring and Bloodline systems, did not.
“None of you have brought any living beings within your pocket realms, correct?” the burly man rumbled, his voice heavy with authority. “The golden hairpin teleportation array can only transport five lives. If any of us carry additional beings, the teleportation will fail.”
“None.”
“Of course not.”
“We all know this.”
Each affirmed.
The golden-robed Heavenly Sword Sect Master added, “Let’s produce the hairpins.”
“Agreed.” Without hesitation, all five retrieved a golden hairpin, easing the tension. Though they had verified each other’s identities through indirect means, seeing the hairpins dispelled lingering doubts.
“Activate.”
Simultaneously, they channeled void divine power into the hairpins.
Hum! Hum! Hum! Hum! Hum!
The five hairpins shimmered as intricate golden patterns surfaced. Dongbo Xueying felt his hairpin slip from his control, drawn by an overwhelming spatial force. The hairpins ascended, their patterns merging midair into a colossal spatial array.
Whoosh—
Space rippled like water. Dongbo Xueying felt his body glide effortlessly through the fluid void. When his vision cleared, he stood in a new location.
Far from Chunyue City.
The five figures now stood on a rocky shore. Behind them, several miles away, stretched a hazy white expanse where space itself seemed distorted. Ahead loomed a towering golden pagoda.
“The Treasure Divine Pagoda!” The burly man’s voice trembled with excitement.
“At last, we’re here,” the mist-shrouded figure hissed.
Dongbo Xueying’s eyes gleamed as he beheld the nearly thousand-zhang-tall pagoda.
The Treasure Divine Pagoda!
Before his death, the Cosmic Deity ‘Emperor Jiuyun’ had left behind sixteen such pagodas, each a trove of treasures.
Hidden within unique spatial pockets across the Ninecloud Continent, these pagodas were beyond the reach of even other Cosmic Deities. Destroying the entire continent would be futile—the sixteen pagodas existed outside its normal spatial fabric.
This white, misty space spanned dozens of miles, centered around the pagoda.
Dongbo Xueying swiftly recalled the intelligence.
To leave, there were two methods: fly toward the hazy white boundary and touch the distorted space to be teleported back to the normal world, or remain for three days, after which all would be forcibly ejected.
“We must secure enough treasure within three days,” Dongbo Xueying thought, his gaze sharpening. With this haul, he could provide Jing Qiu and Yu’er all the resources they needed for cultivation. This time, nothing would stand in his way!
The same fervor burned in the others. This was the treasure of a Cosmic Deity!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The gray-robed woman led the charge as all five streaked toward the pagoda’s open gates.
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