Chapter 967: The Dust Settles

Dongbo Xueying carefully observed this ‘clash of the pinnacle,’ a battle of such caliber was a rare occurrence.

Though watching the battle was immensely taxing—many of the techniques were too fast and too blurred to discern—gradually, Dongbo Xueying began to form some judgments and insights.

The combat techniques of the Sacred Lord, though faintly revealing numerous profound mysteries—such as slaughter, destruction, light, thunder, and more—all naturally intertwined within his moves, yet they all stemmed from a single source: the ‘gray, mist-like thunder.’ The Sacred Lord’s combat power originated entirely from that thunder.

The thunder carried the might to annihilate worlds.

Dominant and devastatingly destructive…

“The Sacred Lord and the Realm Ancestor are quite similar—both specialize in a single force,” Dongbo Xueying mused inwardly. “The Sacred Lord seems to derive everything from thunder, yet with that alone, he can suppress both the Witch Ancestor and the Realm Ancestor.”

“As for the Realm Ancestor, he specializes in the body! Cultivating it to an unfathomable degree, his physical resilience is even more terrifying than some secret treasures. The Sacred Lord’s attacks can’t even harm a single hair on him.” Dongbo Xueying couldn’t help but sigh in amazement. He had also studied the four great legacies of the Black Emperor, which seemed capable of refining the body to an extreme level.

But compared to the Realm Ancestor’s physique, those paled in comparison.

“If the Sacred Lord specializes in ‘thunder,’ and the Realm Ancestor in the ‘body,’ then the Witch Ancestor is far more diverse,” Dongbo Xueying reflected.

The Witch Ancestor embodied ‘variety.’ He possessed numerous formidable techniques, some of which could even be combined to unleash terrifying killing moves that forced even the Sacred Lord to tread carefully. The only drawback was that some of his most devastating techniques required time to prepare. In terms of instantaneous combat, the Witch Ancestor fell short of the Realm Ancestor.

“No wonder it’s widely acknowledged that the Realm Ancestor and the Mother Ancestor are the closest to the Sacred Lord. The Witch Ancestor, despite his myriad methods, only barely matches them—still lacking that final edge,” Dongbo Xueying nodded to himself.

In the commonly accepted hierarchy of power:

Among the second-tier Cosmic Deities, the Mother Ancestor and the Realm Ancestor stood on the same level, while the Witch Ancestor and the Blade Emperor were very close behind.

“Yet now, the Realm Ancestor and the Witch Ancestor can only entangle the Sacred Lord—they can’t harm him in the slightest.” Dongbo Xueying’s heart grew heavy. The Sacred Lord, fighting one against two, still held the upper hand. Truly, he was the being capable of opposing all Cosmic Deities single-handedly! Killing him would be an unimaginable feat.

“First, I must strive to become a Cosmic Deity.”

Dongbo Xueying silently reaffirmed his goal.

He knew well that, though he had reached the ninth-tier level, ascending to Cosmic Deity remained an immensely arduous task. Even his most proficient path—the Void World Dao—lacked sufficient foundational accumulation.

—

As Dongbo Xueying intently observed the battle, he suddenly sensed something and sharply looked up.

In the distance.

High above the Voidsky Palace, a massive, roiling mass of terrifying black light abruptly plummeted downward, directly descending into the Sword Lord’s abode and vanishing entirely within.

“What was that?” Dongbo Xueying, the Chaos Hall Master, the Inquiry Hall Master, the Waterflow Hall Master, and others all widened their eyes in shock. That fearsome black light had descended into the Sword Lord’s residence?

“Hahaha…”

The Heaven’s Fool Patriarch and the Blade Emperor, who had been standing guard, broke into joyous laughter at the sight.

“So fast,” the Blade Emperor marveled. “To gain control so quickly—mere moments have passed. It seems the Sword Lord’s accumulation was truly profound.”

“Indeed, far quicker than anticipated,” the Heaven’s Fool Patriarch laughed heartily.

He knew that from this moment onward, the Voidsky Palace’s strength would soar.

—

The battle between the Sacred Lord, the Realm Ancestor, and the Witch Ancestor had lasted only a brief span.

“Sacred Lord, face my sword!” A cold voice rang out.

Two figures emerged side by side from the void—one was the Blade Emperor, the other a white-haired man, the ‘Sword Lord.’ A blade rested on the Sword Lord’s back as he pointed distantly at the Sacred Lord.

“Clang!”

The sword left its sheath.

A blade-light brimming with chilling killing intent instantly spanned the heavens, its might shaking the Sacred Realm itself as it slashed toward the distant Sacred Lord. The Sacred Lord’s expression flickered slightly as he swung his mottled spear to meet it.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Deafening collisions erupted, space fracturing and twisting around them, even the flow of time warping.

In mere moments, they had exchanged dozens of blows—yet the Sacred Lord found himself unable to gain the upper hand. The Realm Ancestor and the Witch Ancestor smiled faintly as they withdrew to the side.

“Whoosh.”

The blade-light swiftly retracted, sheathing itself once more behind the Sword Lord.

The Sacred Lord also halted, his spear vanishing into thin air as he stood there, scrutinizing the distant Sword Lord.

“I already considered you extraordinary, but it seems I still underestimated you,” the Sacred Lord praised with a faint smile. “To reach the second-tier as a Cosmic Deity in silence, and now, in a single move, you’ve seized a portion of my power. Judging by your earlier strike, your strength is already on par with the Blade Emperor. With a little more time, surpassing even the Realm Ancestor and the Mother Ancestor wouldn’t be impossible.”

“You flatter me, Sacred Lord,” the Sword Lord replied calmly.

Having cultivated in obscurity for countless epochs,

his emergence now allowed him to face the Sacred Lord in direct combat.

“Your talent and comprehension are unmatched since the dawn of the Primordial Sacred Realm,” the Sacred Lord remarked. “Perhaps, in time, you may truly become my equal.”

The Blade Emperor, the Witch Ancestor, and the Realm Ancestor exchanged glances, inwardly marveling at the Sword Lord’s brilliance. His rapid ascension was astonishing—especially given that he had seemingly faced no major setbacks or prolonged trials to reach this level.

“The only pity is that you were born too late,” the Sacred Lord said, his tone serene, devoid of frustration. “Born too late, with the Devouring Demons growing ever stronger. Time is not on your side.”

“I hope you can reach the third-tier before the final reckoning. Then, the world will become even more… interesting.” The Sacred Lord gave the Sword Lord a faint smile before turning and vanishing into thin air.

“He just… left?” The Witch Ancestor was stunned.

“Left without a fuss. Even after losing a portion of his power to the Sword Lord, he remained so composed,” the diminutive Realm Ancestor mused. “It seems that after the incident with Gu Qi and the rising threat of the Devouring Demons, the Sacred Lord has abandoned some of his former schemes.”

The Witch Ancestor nodded. “Indeed. Last time, he expended a fraction of his origin power just to vent his anger by killing Gu Qi. Yet now, after losing power to the Sword Lord, he remains so calm… He must have given up on some of his plans.”

“Never let your guard down around the Sacred Lord,” the Blade Emperor warned. “For all we know, he might be feigning indifference because he sees no immediate path to victory.”

The Sword Lord nodded in agreement.

—

In the Sacred Realm.

The Sacred Lord sat cross-legged on his black stone bed, his expression tranquil. “The Sword Lord’s growth is truly rapid. In such a short time, he’s already capable of facing me directly. His ascent has been unnaturally smooth—without any setbacks.”

“Could it be… he obtained a ‘Realmheart Token?'” the Sacred Lord murmured to himself. “A pity. I’ve only heard of such a thing—never held one myself.”