Chapter 894: Rest and Recovery

“Senior Black Emperor,” Dongbo Xueying quickly said, “Thank you for your intervention. Without you, I might have been in serious trouble this time.”

“Hahaha…” The Black Emperor laughed heartily. “Facing that ambush just now, young friend Dongbo showed no sign of panic at all. You must have had a means of defense ready, didn’t you? The Tai Xu Heavenly Palace is a sacred land for the cultivation of the Rule-Oriented Mysteries system, renowned for crafting all sorts of extraordinary treasures. Ancestor Tianyu is famously protective of his disciples—he must have bestowed upon you some formidable life-saving artifacts. I merely seized the opportunity to intervene so I could meet you. I’ve been staying near the Qingpeng Sect for some time now, and it was about time I paid you a visit.”

“To meet me?” Dongbo Xueying was surprised, then smiled. “I never imagined you’d be in seclusion near the Qingpeng Sect. What a coincidence.”

He had been puzzled earlier.

Ultra-long-distance teleportation was something even most supreme existences couldn’t perform. Among the Chaos Realm overlords, only a rare few ancient cultivators could achieve it.

Of course, he himself had mastered an incomplete four-diagram technique created by Emperor Jiuyun, allowing him to perform such teleportation. The Black Emperor, though formidable, had never been known to possess such an ability. When the ‘Lord of the Yellow Springs’ launched his sudden ambush, how had the Black Emperor appeared so swiftly? Now he understood—the Black Emperor had been in seclusion nearby all along.

“No coincidence,” the Black Emperor chuckled. “The reason I secluded myself near the Qingpeng Sect was precisely because of you.”

“Because of me?” Dongbo Xueying was even more baffled.

“Hahaha, do you intend to keep me standing here while we talk?” the Black Emperor asked.

Dongbo Xueying quickly replied, “My apologies, Senior Black Emperor. Please, come in.”

And so, the two entered the cave abode together.

—

Among the countless disciples of the Qingpeng Sect, many watched the unfolding events in stunned silence. First, a purple-robed man had come seeking vengeance against ‘Elder Beizhou.’ Then, the very heavens and earth seemed to dissolve into chaos… before a black-clad man of unfathomable power strode through the void, his presence alone instilling terror in all who beheld him.

His aura far surpassed even the fireballs Dongbo Xueying had once unleashed from the Black Gourd.

Fear. Trembling.

With just a glance from the black-clad man, the seemingly invincible purple-robed figure exploded into nothingness.

Now, this black-clad man walked side by side with their Supreme Elder into the cave abode.

“Who is that?”

“The Supreme Elder seems to treat him with great respect.”

“That aura was terrifying—could he be a Chaos Realm expert?”

Whispers spread quietly among the disciples.

Meanwhile, the higher-ups of the Qingpeng Sect, those with sufficient insight, paled in recognition. They were familiar with the truly exalted figures of the Eternal Sacred World. The Black Emperor disdained disguising his appearance or concealing his identity, so these discerning elders immediately recognized him. Their hearts trembled with awe.

“The Black Emperor?”

“It’s actually the Black Emperor!”

“Our Supreme Elder knows the Black Emperor?” They exchanged glances, their pulses quickening.

Though the Eternal Sacred World had its share of Chaos Realm overlords, the Black Emperor’s reputation soared far above the rest. He was even known to address the World Ancestor as a brother.

—

Far away, in the Ancient Sacred World…

Beneath a lake, within a grand palace, the Venomous Sage sat upon his throne, his expression dark. The attendants nearby held their breath, sensing their master’s foul mood.

“Get out,” the Venomous Sage said coldly.

“Yes.”

The attendants swiftly withdrew.

Left alone, the Venomous Sage sat in silence for a long while before finally muttering, “The Black Emperor actually interfered. It took me so much effort to persuade the higher-ups to convince the ‘Lord of the Yellow Springs’ to act just once! If not for him, we might have succeeded!”

Since the Lord of the Yellow Springs had only sent an avatar, its destruction was no great loss.

Still, securing the intervention of someone of his stature had been no small feat. Had the Venomous Sage attempted to hire him directly, it would have cost him at least a thousand or two Source World Stones—a price he was unwilling to pay.

“Sigh.”

“The sect wasn’t willing to invest more, considering the odds of success too low.”

The Venomous Sage gritted his teeth. “If this were wartime, mobilizing a single strike force would have been enough to crush Dongbo Xueying!”

But the Ancient Sacred Sect was currently in a phase of recuperation.

Over the eons, it was typically the Sacred Master who initiated wars—each one a storm of blood and death where even Cosmic Deities perished in droves. Second-tier existences like Emperor Jiuyun and the Cang Ancestor had fallen, and the casualties among third-tier figures were even greater. The Sacred Worlds themselves had once numbered more than five, but large-scale conflicts had shattered them.

Take Gu Qi, for instance. His audacity in thwarting the Sacred Master’s plans had provoked such fury that the Sacred Master pursued him relentlessly, sparing no expense. Even the Seven Seas Sacred World and others dared not offer him refuge, knowing that if the Sacred Master truly committed, most Sacred Worlds couldn’t withstand his wrath. Only the Mother Ancestor Sacred World and the Eternal Sacred World stood a chance.

Gu Qi, having reached the ultimate realm of the Voidwalker, possessed extraordinary escape abilities, allowing him to survive the Sacred Master’s rage to this day. Yet he had forbidden Dongbo Xueying from revealing their master-disciple relationship, knowing full well that the Sacred Master’s wrath would inevitably spill over onto his disciple.

Even a Chaos Realm expert would struggle to survive the Sacred Master’s fury, let alone a mere Unity Realm cultivator like Dongbo Xueying.

“Pity the war is over,” the Venomous Sage lamented silently.

During wartime, casualties on both sides were catastrophic. In peacetime, both factions focused on recuperation, with only minor skirmishes breaking out. The death of a Chaos Realm overlord was rare, let alone that of a Cosmic Deity.

“Many of the old-timers in the sect are cultivating now. I’ll just have to wait for an opportunity,” the Venomous Sage mused. Once war erupted again, he, as a Sage, could redirect even a fraction of the sect’s forces to annihilate Dongbo Xueying. After all, countless lives would be lost in such conflicts.

For now, however, he had no choice but to bide his time.

—

Within Dongbo Xueying’s cave abode in the Qingpeng Sect’s rear mountains…

Dongbo Xueying poured fine wine for his guest and asked, “Senior Black Emperor, you secluded yourself near the Qingpeng Sect because of me? May I ask what about me drew your attention?”

“Have you cultivated the Vermilion Nightmare Legacy?” the Black Emperor asked, sipping his wine with a smile.

“Yes.”

Dongbo Xueying was taken aback. “How did you know, Senior? Ah—was it the disturbance when I broke through?”

The Black Emperor shook his head lightly.

Boom!

Behind him, a massive fiery-red avian phantom suddenly materialized. Its feathers were vividly detailed, and its eyes seemed to brim with emotion. As its enormous wings stirred slightly, countless crimson currents swirled around it, each one resembling a miniature universe in flux.

Dongbo Xueying’s eyes widened. The allure radiating from this ‘Vermilion Nightmare Phenomenon’ far surpassed his own. Fortunately, the Black Emperor restrained its power—otherwise, he might have succumbed to its influence.

“I never imagined you’d also cultivated the Vermilion Nightmare Legacy, Senior, and to such an advanced stage,” Dongbo Xueying marveled.

Public records described the Black Emperor as a domineering figure who crushed his foes head-on. There had never been any mention of him specializing in illusions.

“The ‘Vermilion Nightmare Legacy’ was disseminated by me,” the Black Emperor revealed with a smile. “I originally released thirty copies. Some may have been obtained by Cosmic Deities or major factions, while others might have been lost over time.”

“You spread it?” Dongbo Xueying exclaimed. “To think you created such an ancient cultivation method—I’m truly in awe.”

And he meant it.

This ancient legacy’s illusory realm was just one facet. Its allure and its benefits to the soul were equally remarkable.

“No, no.”

The Black Emperor shook his head. “I didn’t create it. I stumbled upon this unique legacy by chance. According to its records, mine is the only complete version in existence. After mastering it, I chose to share parts of it with the world.”

Dongbo Xueying nodded in understanding.

“However, I prefer not to reveal all my capabilities. The versions of the ‘Vermilion Nightmare Legacy’ I released only cover up to the eighth transformation. In truth, there’s a ninth.” The Black Emperor smiled.

“A ninth transformation?” Dongbo Xueying’s eyes lit up. He longed to learn it but hesitated over how to ask.

“I can teach you the ninth transformation,” the Black Emperor said. “The reason I’ve shared these legacies is in the hope that others might master them. I may not have reached the ultimate realm, but perhaps a successor will.”