The Netherghoul Sage, his eyes brimming with killing intent, gazed coldly at the Qingpeng Sect before him. He cared little about the future threat Dongbo Xueying might pose to the sages of the Ancient Sacred Cult. After all, the Ancient Sacred Cult was already at war with the Three Sacred Realms, and one more Chaos Realm expert was hardly worth mentioning! Deep down, his hatred burned—Dongbo Xueying had slain his younger brother.
Thus, he pulled strings everywhere. Yet, even so, the sages of the Ancient Sacred Cult were reluctant. They truly didn’t care about Dongbo Xueying! What difference would one more Cosmic God make? The Ancient Sacred Cult remained supreme!
Their first plan—requesting the ‘Lord of Netherghoul’ to locate Dongbo Xueying—had failed, forcing them to abandon it.
Undeterred, the Netherghoul Sage spent millions of years seeking audiences with the higher-ups of the cult, finally devising a second plan. This one demanded even fewer resources from the Ancient Sacred Cult.
“Netherghoul, since tracking failed, the Voidsky Palace will be on high alert. Though we can confirm Dongbo Xueying is protecting the Qingpeng Sect, he may abandon them for his own safety. Alternatively… the Voidsky Palace might set a trap there, waiting for us to walk into it. This is the limit of what we can agree to,” one of the cult’s higher-ups told him.
Though frustrated, the Netherghoul Sage knew this was the best they could offer.
Sacrificing too much for a mere Unity Realm expert, with no guarantee of success? Impossible!
“If he lets his guard down even slightly…”
“This second plan might succeed.”
“And we’ll eliminate him in one strike!”
The Netherghoul Sage silently vowed.
This was their only chance. The Ancient Sacred Cult had gathered intelligence from all corners. When Dongbo Xueying publicly suppressed the Qingpeng Sect and became its Grand Elder, he had even used the Black Gourd Fireballs! The cult had confirmed his identity the moment they received the intel—after all, he had used the same technique when destroying one of their outposts.
Though they knew Dongbo Xueying was protecting the Qingpeng Sect, the cult had no certainty he would still intervene for them now that they were hunting him.
Whoosh!
The Netherghoul Sage transformed into a streak of light, charging toward the Qingpeng Sect. A voice thick with killing intent boomed across the heavens:
“Old fool Beizhou! Come out and face your death!”
—
Beizhou was the Qingpeng Sect’s strongest expert before Dongbo Xueying arrived.
“Old fool Beizhou! Come out and face your death!”
The murderous voice echoed through the sect, causing countless disciples to look up in alarm. Even Beizhou, his wild yellow hair unkempt, raised his head in confusion, spotting the distant purple-robed figure.
“Who is this? An enemy?” Beizhou muttered. “I don’t even recognize him.”
“Elder Beizhou, is this your foe?”
“Elder Beizhou…” Voices questioned him from all sides.
Beizhou frowned. Had he unknowingly made an enemy over the long ages? It wasn’t uncommon in the chaotic Myriad Eons Sacred Realm, where bloodshed was endless. Perhaps this was a descendant of some long-dead adversary, now strong enough to seek vengeance.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The purple-robed figure in the sky struck without hesitation. With a wave of his hand, bolts of violet lightning descended, crashing into the Qingpeng Sect. The force was immense. Though Dongbo Xueying had set up defensive formations—one illusion array, one alarm array, and a single offensive array—the sword beams it released could barely hold back the thunderous onslaught.
The formations trembled on the verge of collapse.
“Call the Grand Elder!”
“We can’t hold out much longer!”
The sect’s leaders acted swiftly. Sect Master Gu Shang personally sent a mental plea.
—
Dongbo Xueying had been meditating in his secluded chamber, which wasn’t entirely soundproof. He had heard the initial taunt—”Old fool Beizhou, come out and face your death!”—and assumed it was Beizhou’s personal grudge. But the ensuing explosions forced him to halt his cultivation.
“Judging by that power, at least a Star Tower fifth-level expert?” Dongbo Xueying mused. “Possibly stronger.”
He didn’t know.
This was the Netherghoul Sage’s avatar, pushing its limits. Separated from its true body by vast distances, the willpower channeled here was limited. It was straining just to unleash this much force.
“An expert of this caliber should know I’m guarding the Qingpeng Sect. Why attack so brazenly? Does he not know my identity?” Dongbo Xueying wondered. He hadn’t publicly revealed himself—only the top-tier factions could deduce who he was. Most independent experts wouldn’t have a clue.
Despite his doubts, Dongbo Xueying remained cautious. His soul donned a faint white robe, one of the protective treasures bestowed by Patriarch Tianyu.
Then, with a rumble, he opened the chamber door.
Whoosh!
Emerging, he soared into the air, locking eyes with the distant purple-robed figure.
At that moment—
A streak of black light materialized from the void, already at his throat.
Dongbo Xueying’s heart lurched. A lethal threat! “How? It infiltrated my domain without me sensing it?”
Something had bypassed his rule-based domain undetected!
“Hummm—”
A terrifying ripple erupted.
The sunlit sky twisted into chaos. An overwhelming pressure engulfed the entire Qingpeng Sect, freezing every disciple in place with primal terror. Even the Netherghoul Sage’s avatar—disguised as an ordinary Myriad Eons expert—felt it. Though his avatar was weak, his will controlled it.
If his true body were here, he’d be just as terrified. “Who… who is this?”
Amid the chaos, Dongbo Xueying reeled. This pressure dwarfed the black light’s threat tenfold, a hundredfold!
Under its weight, a figure was forced into visibility midair—a black-robed woman with deathly eyes, coldly staring at Dongbo Xueying before lifting her gaze beyond him.
Dongbo Xueying followed her line of sight.
There, in the distance—
A black-robed man strode forward, his cloak billowing, his aura blotting out the sky.
“Black Emperor,” the woman intoned, her voice lifeless.
“So it’s the Lord of the Yellow Springs,” the Black Emperor replied calmly.
Dongbo Xueying’s pulse quickened. The Lord of the Yellow Springs?
One of the Ancient Sacred Cult’s supreme sages, a Star Tower ninth-level powerhouse infamous for assassinations and ambushes! But Dongbo Xueying could tell—this was merely an avatar. Had her true body come, she wouldn’t have been so easily suppressed by the Black Emperor.
Yet… why was the Black Emperor helping him?
“Had I known the Black Emperor would be here, I wouldn’t have bothered,” the woman said icily. “Without you, he’d be dead already.”
Dongbo Xueying nearly scoffed.
Ridiculous.
With the full set of life-preserving treasures from Patriarch Tianyu, he could withstand even the Lord of the Yellow Springs’ true form for a breath or two—enough to teleport to safety!
“This is the Myriad Eons Sacred Realm, not your cult’s territory,” the Black Emperor said coolly. “And as long as I’m here, you will not harm young friend Dongbo in the slightest.”
The woman and the distant Netherghoul Sage were stunned.
The transcendent Black Emperor, shielding Dongbo Xueying so fiercely?
“Two avatars. How stingy the Ancient Sacred Cult has become,” the Black Emperor sighed.
Bang! Bang!
The Netherghoul Sage’s avatar exploded into nothingness. The woman’s form crumbled under invisible chaotic force, dissipating into the void.
Dongbo Xueying could only watch, dumbfounded.
“As long as I’m here, you will not harm young friend Dongbo in the slightest.”
Young friend Dongbo?
Since when were he and the Black Emperor so close? Before today, they’d never even met!
“Young friend Dongbo,” the Black Emperor turned, smiling at him.
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