Dongbo Xueying was well aware that it was only due to his mastery of the Void Path and the pre-existing ‘Vermilion Nightmare Inheritance’ created by his predecessors that he had smoothly cultivated to the sixth transformation of the Vermilion Nightmare. Although it had taken over five million years, advancing another system to the ‘Five-Layered Star Tower’ level in such a short time was negligible for an immortal cultivator.
“Progressing further will be much harder now,” Dongbo Xueying mused silently.
Breaking through from the Unity Realm to the Chaos Realm was an immensely difficult barrier. Even his most promising paths—the Voidwalker system and the Void Path—would likely require an exceedingly long time to cultivate, let alone the Vermilion Nightmare Inheritance.
For now, he could only modify the illusory world within the Vermilion Nightmare, making slight improvements. If he could elevate its power to the Six-Layered Star Tower level, it would already be a tremendous success.
Of course—
Dongbo Xueying remained in high spirits.
His purpose in choosing this ancient cultivation inheritance had already been achieved! Upon reaching the sixth transformation of the Vermilion Nightmare, his soul strength had tripled compared to before he began the ancient cultivation. If he were to unleash the Blades of Heavenly Punishment… he could now summon a full ten of them!
—
At the very moment Dongbo Xueying attained the sixth transformation of the Vermilion Nightmare Inheritance—
In another part of the Eternal Sacred World.
Far, far away from the Qingpeng Sect—a distance spanning nearly half the Eternal Sacred World—a towering black palace loomed amidst the clouds. Spanning hundreds of thousands of miles, its surface was adorned with intricate golden carvings. Within the palace, countless guards and servants moved with solemn reverence.
Beneath this black palace in the clouds lay a sprawling city covering hundreds of millions of miles, inhabited by innumerable cultivators. Here, peace reigned supreme, and no demon dared to cause trouble.
For this city was known as—Black Emperor City.
And the palace above the clouds was called—Black Emperor Palace. Their creator was none other than the legendary figure known as the ‘Black Emperor’!
The Black Emperor—a mighty Chaos Realm overlord whose fame stretched back to the era of the Primal Ancient Sacred World!
It was said that he and the ‘World Ancestor’ had been life-and-death companions since their weaker days.
He had once faced the true form of a Cosmic God in battle and escaped with ease…
His strength was undeniably at the Nine-Layered Star Tower level! At the invitation of his old friend, the World Ancestor, he had settled within the World Ancestor’s territory in the Eternal Sacred World. However, unlike the devouring-type cultivators, he was an ancient cultivator. Thus, within his Black Emperor City, demons were strictly forbidden from wantonly slaughtering and consuming others.
“Hu.”
Deep within the Black Emperor Palace.
A man covered in scales sat cross-legged, his long, dragon-like tail coiled across most of the grand hall.
Above his head swirled four distinct auras—crimson, deep azure, radiant white, and profound black. Only the black aura seemed unstable, flickering erratically.
The man slowly opened his eyes, and the four auras swiftly merged into his body.
“Back in the Primal Ancient Sacred World era, I had already mastered three of the four inheritances. Only this final one remained incomplete,” the man murmured as he stood. His scales shimmered magnificently, and his slit-pupiled eyes gleamed with intensity. “That was when I took the title ‘Black Emperor,’ hoping to one day complete this last inheritance.”
“How long has it been?”
“That final step always eludes me. The other three inheritances interfere with it.” The Black Emperor sighed.
Had he focused solely on one inheritance, it would have been effortless.
But mastering all four? The first three had been achieved, yet the fourth suffered the greatest interference.
“Once completed, the four inheritances will merge perfectly, akin to the workings of the cosmos,” the Black Emperor mused. “Then, I shall ascend as a Cosmic God. But this final step… has stalled me for so long. Could it be… that the path I chose was a mistake?”
His ambition had been too great.
Back then, the World Ancestor had been his equal.
Yet the World Ancestor chose a specialized path—the devouring system, which was weaker in combat at the same level. Still, the World Ancestor had stubbornly cultivated to his current heights.
The Black Emperor, however, pursued the pinnacle. He cultivated four complementary inheritances simultaneously. Even as a nascent cultivator, he could slay those in the Unity Realm. In the Unity Realm, his strength rivaled the Seven-Layered Star Tower. In the Chaos Realm, he stood at the Nine-Layered Star Tower! Had he become a Cosmic God, his power would have been extraordinary.
Alas… he was stuck.
Breaking through from the Chaos Realm to the Cosmic God Realm was the ultimate challenge—the most difficult step of all.
Though frustrated, the Black Emperor remained calm. After all, one grew accustomed to bottlenecks after being stuck for so long.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, the Black Emperor sensed something. He turned his gaze toward a distant direction. “A junior cultivating the *Vermilion Nightmare Inheritance*? And already at the sixth transformation?”
The publicly known version of the *Vermilion Nightmare Inheritance* only had eight transformations.
But the Black Emperor knew the truth—there were nine. The final one was kept secret.
Among the four inheritances he cultivated, the Vermilion Nightmare was one he had long since mastered.
“How rare,” the Black Emperor smiled. “A new disciple of my lineage? Let me see who it is and assess their potential.”
*Whoosh.*
In an instant, the Black Emperor vanished from his palace, tearing open a spatial tunnel through the void.
His speed through the spatial passage far surpassed even that of the Demon Ancestor. In just over thirty thousand years, he traversed most of the Eternal Sacred World and arrived outside the Qingpeng Sect.
—
High in the sky.
Clad in black robes that billowed in the wind, the Black Emperor gazed at the Qingpeng Sect from afar.
“Oh?”
“I can clearly sense the Vermilion Nightmare cultivator within this sect,” the Black Emperor frowned. “Yet I can’t pinpoint them. How can a mere Unity Realm junior evade my detection?”
He did not know.
Dongbo Xueying now possessed treasures bestowed by Ancestor Tianyu. The profound methods of a Cosmic God from the Dao of Rules and Mysteries were unfathomable—even the Black Emperor could not see through them. Only the resonance of the inheritance allowed him to detect Dongbo Xueying.
With a wave of his hand—
*Whoosh!*
A Unity Realm expert from the Qingpeng Sect was forcibly teleported before the Black Emperor, their mind dazed and unresponsive.
“Who is the strongest in your Qingpeng Sect?” the Black Emperor asked.
“The Grand Elder,” the expert answered mechanically.
“Is the largest abode in your sect the Grand Elder’s residence?”
“Yes.”
“What is his name?”
“I do not know.”
The Black Emperor asked no further. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the expert back, who awoke in confusion, unaware of what had transpired.
“Grand Elder?” The Black Emperor immediately accessed the intelligence network of the World Ancestor’s faction—his status granted him such privileges. Soon, he obtained information, including the incident where Dongbo Xueying had intimidated the entire Qingpeng Sect with the black gourd’s fireballs. The World Ancestor’s faction had long since confirmed Dongbo Xueying’s identity.
“Dongbo Xueying? A disciple of the Heavenly Void Palace?” The Black Emperor smiled. “To think the third junior of my lineage would hail from there.”
Those who could obtain his inheritance were already rare.
In his long existence, only three—including Dongbo Xueying—had cultivated it to the Unity Realm’s peak.
“Let’s see how far he can go… and whether he is worthy of the other three inheritances.” With a step, the Black Emperor appeared atop a distant mountain, where a wooden hut materialized. There, he began his secluded cultivation. None in the Qingpeng Sect—not even Dongbo Xueying—could sense his presence.
For an ancient being like the Black Emperor, who had lived far too long… solitude was all too familiar.
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