Chapter 926: The Black Bud

Gu Qi, as a lofty Cosmic God of the Five Sacred Realms within the Chaotic Void, his fall also shook these Chaos Realm experts.

They even faintly sensed the scent of ‘war’ in the air.

“Senior Gu Qi was a Voidwalker, unparalleled in escaping danger. If even he was slain, the Sacred Master must be growing increasingly insane. Is he planning to incite war once more?”

“The edges of the void continuously spawn the Devouring Demons. It’s said that our Chaotic Void is drawing ever closer to destruction. Could it be that the Sacred Master is losing patience?”

“That madman—he’s the one stirring up chaos!”

Including the Hall Master of the Heavenly Inquiry Pavilion, the four Chaos Realm overlords murmured among themselves, gnashing their teeth at the mention of the Sacred Master.

Though besides the Sacred Master, there were other great fiends—such as the Matriarch! Yet the threats posed by the others were limited. Only the ‘Sacred Master’ was acknowledged as a first-tier Cosmic God! He stood above all other Cosmic Gods. If the Three Sacred Realms did not unite to resist, the entire Chaotic Void might well fall under his dominion.

Long ago, during the era of the Primordial Sacred Realm, the Sacred Master had repeatedly incited wars, even coming close to ruling over it. Yet in the end, the Primordial Sacred Realm was shattered… Though many Cosmic Gods perished, the Sacred Master remained standing at the pinnacle.

“Whether in the era of the Primordial Sacred Realm or the Chaotic Void, though the Sacred Master has waged war each time, he has always failed. Clearly, in terms of overall strength, we hold the advantage.”

Amid the discussion, the Hall Master of the Heavenly Inquiry Pavilion turned to Dongbo Xueying beside him. “Dongbo, you should return first. I never expected such dire news upon returning to the Blade Emperor City.”

The other three Chaos Realm experts also spoke:

“Elder Dongbo, you should go back and rest for now.”

“There’s no need for you to worry. Every Cosmic God has reached the ultimate in some aspect. Even the Sacred Master would find it difficult to kill any one of them.”

“If the heavens collapse, the Cosmic Gods will bear it. They are capable of handling everything.”

In their eyes, Dongbo Xueying was, after all, merely a Unity Realm cultivator, and his years of cultivation were short. They assumed he knew little of the highest-level conflicts, hence their words of comfort. But they, as Chaos Realm experts, were different—they were the closest to Cosmic Gods and privy to many of the highest secrets.

“Very well, I shall take my leave first,” Dongbo Xueying said before departing, leaving the four Chaos Realm experts to continue their discussion.

Whoosh.

Streaking across the sky, Dongbo Xueying swiftly returned to his abode, descending in a controlled dive.

The two guards at the entrance of his residence bowed upon seeing him land. “Elder.”

“Hmm.”

Dongbo Xueying entered with a calm expression.

“The Elder seems different from before… in a poor mood?” The two guards exchanged glances, murmuring quietly.

As Dongbo Xueying walked through his residence, maids and attendants bowed in succession.

“Elder,” a maid greeted from afar, stopping respectfully.

“I will be in seclusion for some time. Do not disturb me unless it is urgent,” Dongbo Xueying commanded coldly.

“Yes,” the maid replied promptly.

Dongbo Xueying turned and entered a nearby meditation chamber.

…

Boom.

The chamber door closed, and incense was lit, its faint fragrance permeating the room.

With a wave of his hand, Dongbo Xueying summoned a silver-threaded meditation mat and sat cross-legged upon it. The mat’s cool energy seeped into his body, while the incense helped soothe his mind slightly.

“Haa…” Dongbo Xueying exhaled deeply.

Extending his left hand, a golden seal materialized in his palm. Gazing at it, his brows furrowed with intense killing intent.

“Ridiculous.”

“No matter how furious I am, before the Sacred Master, I am but an ant.” He stored the seal away, forcing himself to calm down. Though his mental cultivation allowed him to regain composure gradually, the rage and killing intent within him could not be dispelled so easily—only suppressed.

Suppressed, and suppressed further! Buried deep within his heart. For avenging his master was a task destined to be long and arduous.

“Master, I am your only disciple. If I do not avenge you, who will?” Dongbo Xueying murmured silently.

His grandmaster, the Void Primogenitor, was likely seething with fury as well. Yet the Void Primogenitor was only a third-tier Cosmic God, barely capable of self-preservation. Without second-tier strength, one could not openly oppose the Sacred Master.

“The path is long, but I will walk it step by step.”

Dongbo Xueying grew increasingly composed.

He then began his cultivation. Gu Qi’s death had made him realize that slacking was not an option. Though only ten thousand years remained until the end of the Star Conference, he intended to reserve the last few centuries to mentor the younger generation. The rest of his time would be devoted entirely to cultivation! Without hesitation, he focused all his efforts on comprehending the fusion of the ‘Illusory Dao’ and the ‘Slaughter Dao’—he had to break through to the seventh level of the Star Tower.

To stand against the Sacred Master, to pose a threat to him, he had to be ruthless with himself.

Though his Illusory Dao was very close to the Chaos Realm—given time, he could likely grasp it—he aimed to reach the seventh level while still in the Unity Realm before advancing. Such tempering would sharpen his comprehension and aid his future breakthroughs. His goal was not merely the Chaos Realm, but the ultimate—Cosmic Godhood! A level where he could truly threaten the Sacred Master.

Of course, ‘mastering the Supreme Rule’ was the ultimate aim of the Rule-Oblivion system, but that was too distant. Dongbo Xueying kept it in mind but dared not dwell on it for now.

For now, he would walk the path before him. Perhaps only upon reaching Cosmic Godhood would he gain deeper insight into the Supreme Rule.

“Boom—”

Dongbo Xueying sat in meditation, his entire focus on the ultimate technique he was refining.

The Illusory Dao alone, or the Slaughter Dao alone, had taken him to the sixth level of the Star Tower—his current limit. Only by fusing the two could he elevate their power further.

“Hmm, the Dark World Sovereign’s path is unworkable.”

“I should follow the method I realized last time—dividing the Slaughter of Destruction into three.”

Countless ideas surged in his mind.

His research on this technique had long reached an advanced stage, lacking only the final touch of perfection. Just like his ‘Heavenly Punishment Blade,’ which could not be executed without the ‘Heart as the Heavenly Heart’ state, this ultimate technique demanded absolute perfection to manifest at the Unity Realm. A single flaw would render it impossible.

“Perhaps… like this.”

As Dongbo Xueying attempted once more, the suppressed killing intent deep within his heart naturally guided him to tweak the technique ever so slightly—enhancing its lethality while further restraining its outward ferocity.

Like a master painter creating a timeless masterpiece under a specific state of mind, Dongbo Xueying’s current mentality instinctively refined this technique. That minuscule adjustment brought it to a state of absolute perfection. The creation of such peerless techniques required not just comprehension and accumulation, but also the right moment—and his current mindset, brimming with suppressed killing intent yet tempered by extreme calm, was the perfect catalyst.

Whoosh.

An illusory world flickered into existence. At its center bloomed a black flower bud, tender and fragile, adorned with three leaves and dewdrops. As Dongbo Xueying willed this illusion into being, the flower bud did not collapse. Instead, it exuded an inexplicable aura…

It had not yet descended into reality, merely birthed within the illusory world, yet its presence alone began to ripple through the natural order, encroaching upon the real.

Within the meditation chamber, the Sacred Realm’s laws recoiled before it.

Cosmic Gods could shatter the Sacred Realm with their techniques. Though Chaos Realm experts could not achieve such feats, within a limited scope, they could force the Sacred Realm’s laws to retreat. Here, *I* am the master—even the Sacred Realm’s rules must yield. And this ‘black flower bud’ had reached that very level of terror.

“Descend into reality.” Dongbo Xueying’s eyes gleamed.

The black flower bud transitioned from illusion to reality, slowly absorbing the energy of heaven and earth under his control—this was merely an experiment, not combat. Were he to draw energy violently, it would create a maelstrom around his abode, causing too great a disturbance.

As it absorbed energy, it grew more tangible. Its three leaves, the bud itself, and the dewdrops upon them became vividly real. The surrounding temperature plummeted instantly to a bone-chilling extreme—cold enough to freeze ordinary Unity Realm cultivators to death.

And this was merely its manifestation. Its true power had yet to be unleashed.