Chapter 856: Inside the Tower

The ancient gates of the Treasure Divine Tower stood wide open, towering nearly a hundred zhang high.

Dongbo Xueying and the other four swiftly darted into the Treasure Divine Tower.

“We’re inside—the treasure trove of the ultimate existence, ‘Ninecloud Emperor,'” Dongbo Xueying murmured as he stood upon the black ground. Above him stretched an expanse of eerie darkness, dotted with shimmering stars. He knew well that those twinkling lights were none other than the treasures of the tower, each concealing a precious artifact—though these were merely the treasures of the first floor.

The Treasure Divine Tower was divided into three layers. The third layer held only two or three treasures, but each was of immense importance to the Ninecloud Emperor, their value beyond measure. Any single one could drive even Chaos Realm overlords to madness with greed.

*Whoosh.*

Suddenly, ethereal staircases materialized within the tower, ascending step by step until they reached the highest point, where they touched the dark sky. At the end of each staircase stood an ancient stone door.

Five staircases in total, each leading to its own door.

“Let’s go.”

*Swish.*

Dongbo Xueying, the Tianjian Sect Master, the burly man, the shadowy figure wreathed in black mist, and the woman in loose gray robes each chose a staircase and began their ascent.

“The suppression of the tower’s rules is formidable,” Dongbo Xueying mused as he walked, attempting to levitate only to be forced back down by an unseen force. He had no choice but to proceed step by step.

From the outside, the tower appeared only a thousand zhang tall, yet its interior was vast beyond measure. The staircase of the first floor alone stretched for a hundred li!

*Hum.*

Dongbo Xueying sprinted up the steps at blinding speed, his form blurring into an afterimage as he covered twenty or thirty li in an instant—only to crash headfirst into an invisible barrier. Only then did the barrier reveal itself.

“Each staircase has three barriers. Even if you break through all three, you still need to shatter the stone door to reach the second floor. No need to rush,” the black-mist-wrapped figure on a distant staircase sneered in a shrill voice.

Dongbo Xueying ignored the taunt.

The intelligence he had obtained from the Taixu Temple was exhaustive. He knew exactly what he was doing. His collision with the barrier was merely a test—to gauge its resilience and see if he could brute-force his way through.

“Break!” A divine sword appeared in his hand. With three swift slashes—*puff, puff, puff*—the barrier shattered like glass.

By then, the other four had also begun their assaults on their respective barriers, each breaking through the first obstruction in short order.

*Whoosh.*

From the starry expanse of the first floor’s dark sky, one of the radiant stars suddenly plummeted downward.

Dongbo Xueying’s eyes gleamed as his arm elongated, reaching for the falling star—only to be halted by an unseen force after extending barely ten li.

“This one’s mine!” The burly man’s massive arm stretched out as well, seizing the star after extending just a few li. The moment his fingers made contact, the star’s luminous shell shattered, revealing a floating fragment of a blade—gleaming silver-white, its mere sight enough to send shivers down one’s spine. A pity it was only a fragment.

“Likely a remnant of a supreme Void Divine weapon,” Dongbo Xueying assessed instantly. “Worth thirty to fifty Source World Stones.”

—

The five of them pressed onward.

Occasionally, another star would descend from the dark sky. A mere touch would dissolve its outer shell, unveiling the treasure within—some worth mere handfuls of Source World Stones, others nearing a hundred.

*Thud. Thud.*

Dongbo Xueying paid little mind to these treasures.

After all, these were merely the first-floor offerings, typically lingered over only by weaker cultivators who stumbled in by chance.

*Swish.*

Three consecutive sword beams struck the third and final barrier, shattering it completely. Dongbo Xueying blurred into motion, dashing toward the staircase’s end—where it met the sky and the ancient stone door.

*Boom!*

He was the first of the five to reach the door. His sword transformed into a storm of slashes, hammering against the stone with thunderous force. The door trembled violently, stone fragments flying as cracks began to form.

At the same moment—

One of the brightest stars in the dark sky abruptly detached, streaking toward Dongbo Xueying like a blazing comet.

Though his sword never ceased its assault, his full attention locked onto the incoming star. The other four cultivators, too, fixed their gazes upon it.

Having obtained the golden hairpin, they had all gathered intelligence on the Ninecloud Emperor’s treasures. They knew that when the first among them attacked the stone door, the tower would immediately release a star—one containing the most valuable treasure of the first floor.

“How audacious.”

“Such a treasure… Does he not fear that possessing it might cost him his life?” the burly man and the others mused silently. They understood all too well that within the tower, every other cultivator was a rival. None wished to draw attention by seizing the first floor’s greatest prize.

After all, this treasure would rank among the upper echelons even on the second floor. If one among their group concealed terrifying power, they might strike without warning.

They had three full days within the tower. Patience was key. Those who flaunted their strength too early rarely lived long.

*Hiss.*

Clad in white robes, his silver mask glinting, Dongbo Xueying extended his left hand. The moment his fingers brushed the massive, speeding star, it dissolved like mist, revealing its contents—a withered branch, roughly the thickness of an arm, adorned with golden fibrous tendrils.

The branch exuded an aura of boundless vitality, as though life itself flourished in its presence.

“Golden Tendril Heavenly Thunderwood,” Dongbo Xueying whispered, his pulse quickening. The other four cultivators held their breaths, eyes wide with shock.

In the era of the Primordial Ancient Sacred World, this treasure would have been worth nearly a thousand Source World Stones. It was born only when the Heavenly Thunder of the Primordial World’s laws struck a Golden Tendril Divine Tree—most trees perished, reduced to ash. Only the rarest survived, leaving behind a single branch brimming with endless life.

But now—

The Primordial Ancient Sacred World had shattered. No new Golden Tendril Heavenly Thunderwood could ever be born. Even Cosmic Deities had long coveted it.

This branch could forge divine weapons, create worlds, or refine elixirs…

In the present age, eons after the Primordial World’s destruction, this single fragment was worth *three thousand* Source World Stones! Back when the Ninecloud Emperor lived, its value was merely a thousand—hence its placement as one of the first floor’s top treasures. But now, its worth had multiplied beyond imagination.

“Such staggering value?” Dongbo Xueying’s heart raced. A treasure worth three thousand Source World Stones could serve as the crown jewel even on the second floor—enough to ignite the greed of Chaos Realm overlords.

This single branch surpassed the combined value of every other treasure he possessed.

Truly, the hoard of a Cosmic Deity was in a league of its own.

With a swift motion, Dongbo Xueying seized the Golden Tendril Heavenly Thunderwood and stowed it away in his spatial treasure.