The Donglin Hall bore witness as the transaction was finalized. Only then did the one-horned middle-aged man completely relax. He had been far too tense. Ever since his fortuitous encounter led him to obtain the precious ‘Crimson Cloud Pomegranate Heart,’ he had been on edge at all times. He even felt that the ‘Eternal Sacred Realm’ was too perilous, where slaughter was all too common. Thus, he spared no expense, spending over a million years to be transported to the Donglin Sacred Realm.
In terms of order, the Donglin Sacred Realm was even better than the Sevenstar Sea Sacred Realm.
Before the deal was struck, he had been extremely nervous. Though he had quoted a price of ‘five thousand Meta Realm Stones,’ in truth, he had never even seen a hundred Meta Realm Stones before!
“With these Meta Realm Stones, my plans can finally be set in motion, and my strength will greatly increase,” the one-horned man mused silently. He had too many schemes in mind. “Peng’er, your uncle needs time to cultivate and grow stronger. A trillion years… I will return. I will come back to the Green Roc Sect! By then, I will be the strongest in the sect and take control of it!”
The Eternal Sacred Realm, especially the regions ruled by the Realm Ancestor, was far too dangerous for his cultivation and growth.
“Yun Peng?”
Dongbo Xueying received the information about the young man and couldn’t help but ask, “How long has it been since you left the Green Roc Sect?”
“Several million years,” the one-horned man replied.
“Are you certain Yun Peng is still in the Green Roc Sect?” Dongbo Xueying pressed.
The one-horned man hesitated. “He should be.”
“I suggest you verify it,” Dongbo Xueying said with a smile, glancing at the branch master of Donglin Hall beside them. “Branch Master Qifu, for your Donglin Hall, checking whether this Yun Peng is still in the Green Roc Sect shouldn’t be difficult, right?”
“One Meta Realm Stone,” Branch Master Qifu replied with a grin.
“Deal,” the one-horned man agreed immediately.
Just one?
Now that he was flush with wealth, such a cost meant nothing to him.
Dongbo Xueying accompanied the one-horned man in drinking while they awaited news from Donglin Hall. The Donglin Hall was backed by the Blade Emperor City, the Void Temple, the Star City, and the Bone Ancestor Palace—some of their powerful ancient cultivators could directly probe the distant Green Roc Sect in the Eternal Sacred Realm.
After a short while—
“The boy named Yun Peng is no longer in the Green Roc Sect,” Branch Master Qifu announced. “As a free bonus, while investigating the sect, I overheard some disciples discussing how a group of them had been abducted outside. Yun Peng was among them.”
The one-horned man’s heart clenched, but upon hearing the word ‘abducted,’ he relaxed slightly—at least there was a chance Yun Peng was still alive. “Where is he now?” he asked urgently.
“How would I know?” Branch Master Qifu shook his head. “Without a fixed location, tracking him down won’t be so easy.”
“But it can be done,” Dongbo Xueying interjected.
Back in the Taixu Temple, when they had hunted down the assassin who targeted him, they would have succeeded if not for the interference of the Myriad Realms Tower Master.
Branch Master Qifu glanced at Dongbo Xueying and nodded. “Indeed, it’s possible, though far more troublesome. A single search will cost two hundred Meta Realm Stones.”
“Two hundred?” The one-horned man’s eyes widened.
His teleportation from the Eternal Sacred Realm had only cost ten Meta Realm Stones! Even a warrior capable of clearing the fourth level of the Star Tower might not possess treasures worth two hundred Meta Realm Stones in total. And this was just for a single search?
“You don’t have to pay,” Branch Master Qifu said with a smile.
“I’ll pay!” The one-horned man gritted his teeth.
This was his most cherished kin—he had to know the truth.
This time, the wait was much longer.
After more than two hours, Branch Master Qifu finally spoke. “It’s confirmed. The boy named Yun Peng is currently a slave within the Demon Eye Mansion of the Golden Devourer Kingdom in the Eternal Sacred Realm.”
“The Golden Devourer Kingdom? A slave?” The one-horned man’s face paled.
The Golden Devourer Kingdom was a formidable power within the Realm Ancestor’s dominion in the Eternal Sacred Realm. Its ruler, the Golden Devourer King, was one of the Realm Ancestor’s many personal disciples.
“Within a year, I will reach the Golden Devourer Kingdom and rescue this Yun Peng,” Dongbo Xueying declared.
“You’re certain?” The one-horned man stared at him in excitement. To him, the Golden Devourer King’s status as a personal disciple of the Realm Ancestor alone meant he could act with impunity in the Eternal Sacred Realm.
Dongbo Xueying chuckled.
This man might have been lucky enough to obtain a treasure, but his understanding of the upper echelons of the three Sacred Realms was still far too shallow.
“I’m certain,” Dongbo Xueying said.
—
Once the transaction was fully settled, Dongbo Xueying left the Donglin Sacred Realm alone and returned to his home universe.
Within the home universe, at the Black Fog Sea Imperial Manor—
“Jingqiu, Jingqiu!” Dongbo Xueying called out as soon as he arrived, spotting his wife practicing swordplay in the distance.
Yu Jingqiu turned and smiled. “Xueying, you’re back so soon? You mentioned a joyous occasion earlier but didn’t elaborate. What is it?”
“Hahaha—” Dongbo Xueying couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
It was indeed a joyous occasion.
Obtaining the Crimson Cloud Pomegranate Heart had been no easy feat!
On one hand, he had to reach his current level of strength. On the other, he needed sheer luck to coincidentally enter the Ninecloud Emperor’s treasure vault. Without it, how could he ever have afforded the Crimson Cloud Pomegranate Heart? Relying on slow accumulation over time would have taken who knew how long.
“Tell me already!” Yu Jingqiu urged impatiently.
Dongbo Xueying grinned, then waved his hand. A grand hall materialized out of thin air, landing on the grassy field—spanning a full hundred miles.
At a glance, Yu Jingqiu could sense the extraordinary aura of the hall. Even its faint, intangible energy fluctuations made her feel suppressed.
“Come with me,” Dongbo Xueying said, leading his wife inside.
“From today onward, you will cultivate here,” he said with a smile. Then, with a flip of his hand, he produced a black jade vial and tossed it toward a recess in the hall’s wall. It slotted in perfectly.
*Hum—*
Golden patterns emerged on the surface of the black jade vial, and soon, intricate designs lit up across the entire hall. A faint, soothing fragrance gradually permeated the space.
Just inhaling the scent brought unparalleled tranquility to the soul.
“This fragrance will last for three hundred and eighty million years,” Dongbo Xueying explained. Then, with another motion, he retrieved a jade box and opened it. Inside lay a tender, fragrant ‘green bamboo shoot.’ Yet upon closer inspection, it was no ordinary shoot—its surface was layered with semi-translucent patterns.
“Eat it,” Dongbo Xueying instructed.
Yu Jingqiu had only just inhaled the fragrance emanating from the box when her soul trembled violently. In an instant, her comprehension and thought processes accelerated to an absurd degree—almost akin to the epiphanies she had experienced in the past.
She knew her husband had left their home universe to seek treasures that would help them transcend. Both Dongbo Qingyao and Dongbo Yu had broken through on their own—only she remained.
His earlier excitement must have been due to this very treasure.
“Mm.” Yu Jingqiu picked it up and took a delicate bite. It was crisp, dissolving the moment it touched her tongue into a stream of verdant energy that merged into her body. The sensation was even more electrifying than the fragrance—her soul shuddered in ecstasy.
“Quick, eat it all,” Dongbo Xueying urged.
Yu Jingqiu took two more bites and finished it.
She had no idea just how precious the treasure she had consumed was. A single Crimson Cloud Pomegranate Heart could be exchanged for something comparable in value to the ‘Black Wild Dog’ of the Primordial Lands—a being powerful enough to create an entire universe. Even the combined wealth of some newly ascended weaker Chaos Realm overlords might not suffice to purchase one.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage