Dongbo Xueying agreed to the deal of eliminating the two leaders of the Black Demon Cliff precisely because the intelligence indicated that they were not affiliated with any major factions.
Those under the protection of sacred factions—such as the Tai Void Heavenly Palace, the Ancestral Island, the Radiant Holy Land, the Blade Emperor City, and others—were different.
Firstly, they were bestowed with protective treasures. If they couldn’t be instantly slain, they could activate these treasures. During the brief moment of activation, their factions would immediately dispatch reinforcements via ultra-long-distance teleportation. Worse still, provoking a major faction might even draw the direct intervention of an Ultimate existence.
Secondly, if one truly succeeded in killing someone with a powerful background, the retaliation would be relentless.
For instance, when Dongbo Xueying was previously assassinated, the Tai Void Heavenly Palace swiftly launched an investigation. Only the enigmatic interference of the Myriad Realms Tower Master halted the probe, bringing the matter to a close.
“Even the intelligence of my Tai Void Heavenly Palace didn’t uncover any major faction backing the Black Demon or any protective treasures in his possession,” Dongbo Xueying mused. “Yet now, the Black Demon suddenly reveals a protective treasure. Most importantly, during my first strike—the Six Hundred Layers of Dark World—he risked taking the blow head-on without activating it.”
Anyone with decent combat sense could discern the terrifying power within the Six Hundred Layers of Dark World.
Yet the Black Demon still refrained from using his treasure the first time.
Why?
“If the protective treasure had a legitimate origin, why didn’t he use it immediately?” Dongbo Xueying pondered. “Such secrecy suggests, with near certainty, that he belongs to one of the two great cults.”
“Who would’ve thought? I’ve stumbled upon a big fish!” Dongbo Xueying’s eyes gleamed with excitement.
Nearby, Qi Hujun was momentarily stunned.
He stared blankly at the Black Demon, now enveloped in a faint glow. This was his sworn brother, yet he had never known the Black Demon possessed a protective treasure.
“Even I was kept in the dark? And earlier, when facing the first strike, he chose to endure the damage rather than use it? Only when death was imminent did he activate it? Such caution—could he truly be from the two great cults?” A chill ran down Qi Hujun’s spine. Though he was a notorious demon who roamed freely across the Eternal Sacred World, the mere mention of the two great cults filled him with dread.
The lofty World Ancestor and the Witch Ancestor cared little for their kind. The World Ancestor even tolerated slaughter and strife within his domain. But once a member of the two great cults was exposed, the World Ancestor would show no mercy.
Against the two great cults, the three sacred worlds stood united without exception!
“Whoosh!”
Qi Hujun abandoned all thoughts of battle and immediately attempted to flee. However, under the suppression of the Pan Wave Diagram, Dongbo Xueying detected his movements instantly.
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
With a mere thought, Dongbo Xueying summoned three more Heaven’s Punishment Blades, descending from different directions to encircle Qi Hujun.
“Swish—”
Qi Hujun’s body, originally blurred like a shadow, suddenly dissolved into a rushing torrent of water. The three blades slashed through the current, cleaving it into segments, yet the water effortlessly reformed and continued its escape.
The sight made Dongbo Xueying’s pupils contract. “What an incredible survival technique!”
Too low-key.
Of the two leaders of the Black Demon Cliff, the first was infamous, while the second had always remained obscure. Typically, Qi Hujun merely supported his brother with his domain. Though intelligence noted his formidable survival skills, the extent was never detailed—because Qi Hujun had never faced an opponent of Dongbo Xueying’s caliber.
Thus, his true capabilities had never been fully revealed.
“To withstand the Heaven’s Punishment Blades head-on—his survival skills far surpass mine,” Dongbo Xueying marveled. Voidwalkers, adept in ‘void-shifting,’ excelled at survival, but none could endure three Heaven’s Punishment Blades!
“Whoosh!”
Qi Hujun moved with terrifying speed.
Reaching a distance, he forcibly tore open a spatial tunnel. Dongbo Xueying watched from afar, making no move to disrupt it. Even if destroyed, Qi Hujun could simply flee further. His priority now was the Black Demon.
“With survival skills this formidable, it’s unlikely the two great cults have control over this second leader,” Dongbo Xueying speculated.
The stronger a cultivator, the more they resisted being enslaved by the two great cults.
After all, it was soul domination—losing oneself entirely, becoming nothing more than a loyal pawn. The Ancient Sacred Cult and the Mother Goddess Cult might have covertly controlled the Black Demon with relative ease, given his straightforward combat style. But Qi Hujun, with his mastery over domains, survival, and escape, would be far harder to subjugate.
“Still, the World Ancestor’s faction will undoubtedly investigate Qi Hujun thoroughly,” Dongbo Xueying mused.
Though countless thoughts flashed through his mind, it all transpired in an instant.
His gaze locked onto the Black Demon, who still struggled to flee. Yet under the Pan Wave Diagram’s influence, every attempt to vanish into the void was thwarted.
“A protective treasure? Let’s see how long it lasts,” Dongbo Xueying sneered coldly. Three Heaven’s Punishment Blades descended once more, striking the Black Demon’s glowing form with relentless force.
—
Far away, in the Sevenstar Sea Sacred World, within the Tai Void Heavenly Palace…
“Hall Master Wentian, this is Dongbo Xueying. I’ve encountered a formidable expert in the Eternal Sacred World—the Black Demon. I suspect he’s a member of the two great cults,” Dongbo Xueying transmitted. “I’m currently at Windrider City.”
Seated upon his throne, the silver-haired Hall Master Wentian gazed into the void with his dark, fathomless eyes. Across the immeasurable distance, his vision pierced into the Eternal Sacred World, settling upon Windrider City and the unfolding battle.
“You suspect his allegiance based solely on his protective treasure? Could it not have been acquired by chance or purchase?” Hall Master Wentian scrutinized the Black Demon while swiftly cross-referencing the Tai Void Heavenly Palace’s intelligence. The Black Demon was a known expert with strength at the fifth level of the Star Tower.
“He’s never revealed it before—our intelligence never detected it. That alone is suspicious. Earlier, he even risked taking a direct hit. I’m over eighty percent certain he’s affiliated with the two great cults,” Dongbo Xueying insisted.
Hall Master Wentian observed the Black Demon closely.
But soon, his attention was seized by the Heaven’s Punishment Blades assailing the Black Demon.
“What is this?”
Hall Master Wentian’s insight was unparalleled. Though the vast distance prevented him from sensing the blades’ full power, the fact that they forced the Black Demon to activate his protective treasure—and the way they solidified the surrounding spatial energy with each strike—allowed him to deduce their nature.
Coupled with his knowledge that Dongbo Xueying cultivated the *Dark World* techniques, he swiftly concluded:
This was the second form of *Dark World*—Heaven’s Punishment Blade.
Dongbo Xueying had mastered the Heaven’s Punishment Blade?
A sixth-level Star Tower combatant?
Dongbo Xueying had reached the sixth level?
Hall Master Wentian’s mind reeled. To him, this revelation was even more exhilarating than uncovering a cult spy. Throughout its history, the Tai Void Heavenly Palace had produced many formidable experts—some fallen, others now serving as Hall Masters. Yet among the current Inner Hall Elders, none had reached the sixth level of the Star Tower.
It had been a lingering regret.
And now, an Inner Hall Elder had broken through to the sixth level?
“Heaven’s Punishment Blade—without a doubt. The power level is unmistakable,” Hall Master Wentian murmured, his eyes gleaming brighter the longer he observed from afar.
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