As Ancestor Tianyu spoke, he waved his hand, and a silver ring appeared before him, flying toward Dongbo Xueying. At this moment, Xueying’s emotions were complex.
Since inheriting the Voidwalker legacy and becoming the disciple of Gu Qi, though he had arrived in the Sevenstar Sea Sacred Realm, he had never seen his master again. Even Ancestor Tianyu had discouraged him from contacting Gu Qi too much, lest the Sacred Master vent his wrath upon him.
*Buzz.* The moment Dongbo Xueying grasped the ring, he refined it instantly, activating the formation contained within.
An image appeared beside the ring—a silver-haired, golden-horned figure.
“Haha! My one and only disciple is truly remarkable. I’d love to boast about you to those old fellows, but alas, your identity as my disciple must remain hidden for now. It’s not the right time for us to meet. Once this trouble passes, we’ll reunite and share a few drinks. Keep cultivating diligently—don’t slack off! Enough said.” The silver-haired, golden-horned Gu Qi chuckled before the projection dissipated into the air.
Dongbo Xueying knew this was a recorded message, designed to vanish after a single playback, leaving no trace. Clearly, Gu Qi was being cautious.
When he inspected the ring’s interior, he was stunned. Piled within the storage space were numerous rare treasures, each of which he could identify. Their combined value easily exceeded six thousand Sourceworld Stones.
“Gu Qi witnessed your battle with Lei Yan and deduced that you’ve cultivated the Black Emperor’s *Vermilion Bird Inheritance* and *Balong Inheritance*. So, he procured all the external resources needed for these legacies at the Chaos Realm level,” Ancestor Tianyu explained. “To be precise, he provided the Sourceworld Stones, while I handled the acquisitions. We had to be careful—if he made the purchases himself, the Sacred Master might suspect you, given you’re also a Voidwalker.”
Dongbo Xueying nodded.
He could tell that these treasures would suffice for him to reach the eighth transformation of the Vermilion Bird and the eighth revolution of Balong.
Given Gu Qi’s status, he must have studied these two legacies and thus knew the required resources. However, the Black Emperor had never publicly shared the ninth transformations—those were reserved only for true inheritors who had earned his approval. Neither Gu Qi nor Ancestor Tianyu had the innate talent to cultivate these techniques, despite having glimpsed them.
Ancient cultivators required innate talent.
One had to choose a legacy that matched their gifts.
“So much…” Dongbo Xueying held the ring, feeling its weight—both literal and metaphorical. Six thousand Sourceworld Stones’ worth of treasures, given in one stroke.
“In the Tai Void Heavenly Palace, we don’t simply bestow such vast resources. You’d have to fight for them yourself,” Ancestor Tianyu said, shaking his head. “Gu Qi has only you as his disciple, and he’s not skilled in teaching. Since he insisted on giving these to you, I merely acted as the messenger. Cherish them. Earning such treasures on your own would be no easy feat.”
“I understand,” Xueying replied. “Ancestor, may I ask—where is my master now?”
He truly longed to see him.
“In the Eternal Sacred Realm,” Ancestor Tianyu said.
“The Eternal Sacred Realm?” Dongbo Xueying was startled. He had spent considerable time there yet never knew Gu Qi was in the same realm.
“His troubles are great. Only the Witch Ancestor is willing to shield him,” Ancestor Tianyu continued. “Don’t go seeking him out. Even if you tried, he wouldn’t meet you. The Sacred Master is constantly scheming against Gu Qi. If you approached, you might be detected.”
Dongbo Xueying nodded obediently.
As much as he wished to reunite, now was not the time.
—
In the following days, Dongbo Xueying trained in the Time Palace, maintaining a hundredfold time acceleration. For a Unity Realm cultivator, the cost wasn’t exorbitant—but once he reached the Chaos Realm, he’d hesitate to enter unless absolutely necessary.
He also purchased supplementary cultivation materials.
The higher his strength grew, the less effective such aids would become. At the Unity Realm, they were still quite useful. He sought to create a technique merging the Path of the Virtual World and the Path of Slaughter, inspired by the sinister flower formed by the “Stone Mirror.” Even if he failed, he might still break through to the Chaos Realm in one leap.
Time flowed onward.
—
*Cough, cough.*
Above a desolate mountain range, Dongbo Xueying stood in the air, his face pale as a sinister crimson energy seeped into his body. Ahead of him, two Destruction Demons clad in blood-red armor watched warily from a distance.
“All you do is flee. Have the courage to face me in battle,” Xueying taunted.
“Hah! The longer the Destruction energy corrodes you, the worse your injuries become. Why should we risk our lives?” The two demons were cunning—one flickered in and out of visibility, while the other lurked far away. Their survival and escape abilities were exceptional, allowing them to evade him until now.
The other eight had already fallen to his blade.
*I elevated the* Panoramic Wave Diagram *to the sixth level of the Star Tower, yet I still couldn’t clear this trial.* Feeling his worsening condition, Xueying shook his head inwardly. He would need the Star Tower’s help to suppress and expel the destructive energy—he couldn’t hold out much longer on his own.
The breakthrough in the *Panoramic Wave Diagram* had indeed enhanced his overall strength. If he were to battle Tower Master Lei again, he believed he’d now hold a clear advantage.
The *Panoramic Wave Diagram* was a domain technique.
Its enhanced suppression weakened the Destruction Demons, hindering their escape and reducing their combat power. That was how he had managed to slay eight of them. Only these two most elusive foes remained.
—
The Five Sacred Realms and the Chaos Void remained as tranquil as ever. Though conflicts and slaughter persisted in various corners, the highest echelons remained undisturbed.
The ultimate existences lay dormant.
Yet, in a hidden hall—more secretive than even the Ninecloud Emperor’s treasure vault—figures began to gather.
A massive black circular stone table stood at the center, surrounded by towering presences: Void Primogenitor, Blade Emperor, Ancestor Tianyu, Primordial Demon Mountain’s founder, and a strikingly handsome man with a great serpent coiled around his bare chest.
“My sister is in seclusion, so I shall attend in her stead,” the serpent-wrapped man said with a smile. The Radiant Sanctuary had two Cosmic Gods—the Radiant Sovereign and her younger brother, Cloud Serpent Emperor.
“Lord Luo prefers not to involve himself in trivial matters, so he has not joined us today,” declared the Blade Emperor, a golden-robed man whose mere presence exuded an overwhelming edge. As the strongest among the six sacred lands, he presided over this gathering of the Star Hall.
The other four listened intently.
The two great sacred realms excluded Bone Ancestor, leaving six sacred lands. In theory, six Cosmic Gods should have attended—but Lord Luo seldom made appearances.
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