Dongbo Xueying was utterly astonished.
Though he had long known of the Crimson-Browed Mountain Master’s erratic and savage nature, who would make outrageous demands even from the Cosmic Deities, this time, the Mountain Master had seized the slightest opportunity to extort ten thousand Meta Realm Stones as compensation—this was simply too excessive.
“Hmph.” Dongbo Xueying couldn’t be bothered to deal with such a madman. He said indifferently, “Mountain Master, I still have to continue investigating the Annihilation Fiends. I won’t keep you company.”
The moment he finished speaking—
“Trying to leave?” A furious roar echoed as the Crimson-Browed Mountain Master transformed into a blurry streak of bloody light, lunging straight at Dongbo Xueying. This only deepened Xueying’s bewilderment—was the Mountain Master actually attacking him?
At this moment, the Crimson-Browed Mountain Master was ablaze with battle intent. His deliberate provocation, even demanding ten thousand Meta Realm Stones as compensation, was all a ploy to force a fight with Dongbo Xueying. He even worried that Xueying wouldn’t go all out, so he did everything to provoke him: *This Dongbo Xueying—I’ve heard his Annihilation Flower is devastatingly powerful, and his illusions force me to expend seventy percent of my focus just to resist. He must be a true threat to me!*
*I need this sense of threat. A life-and-death battle under extreme pressure might just help me break through my final bottleneck and ascend to Cosmic Deity!* The Mountain Master’s eyes burned crimson.
At his level of status and power, becoming a Cosmic Deity was his greatest obsession!
And if he wanted to become one? A desperate, high-stakes battle was the best tempering.
“Whoosh!”
Dongbo Xueying attempted to teleport, only to find the surrounding space subtly solidified, preventing him. He could only retreat at high speed. *This Crimson-Browed Mountain Master’s mastery over the Void is indeed profound—almost on par with mine!*
As he flew backward, the Mountain Master pursued like a bloody comet.
Chase and retreat—in the blink of an eye, they had crossed tens of millions of miles, yet the distance between them continued to shrink.
*He’s even faster than me?* Xueying grew warier. The Mountain Master’s figure flickered like a bloody shadow, almost as if he were in a ‘Phantom’ state.
**BOOM!**
Suddenly, Dongbo Xueying halted mid-retreat. Behind him, a colossal vermilion divine bird—the Scarlet Nightmare—manifested, its wings blotting out the sky. Countless crimson energy currents surged forth, enveloping the Crimson-Browed Mountain Master, while illusions relentlessly assailed him. The Mountain Master frowned—the illusions, amplified by ancient cultivation techniques, came in endless waves, forcing him to dedicate eighty percent of his focus to resist.
“Done running?” The Mountain Master stopped as well, hovering mid-air. “Then take this first strike.”
A bizarre, translucent circular disc appeared in his hand. It was impossibly thin—so thin that Xueying couldn’t even quantify its thickness. By his estimation, it was comparable to the diameter of a Black Mist Sphere’s aperture.
This both shocked and excited Dongbo Xueying.
*Just how strong is the Crimson-Browed Mountain Master?* He was undeniably a Ninth-Level combatant, with unique battle techniques that allowed him to come and go as he pleased, unhindered. His mysterious clones were untraceable by any means, granting him an almost transcendent status.
“Go.” The Mountain Master flung the disc.
The translucent wheel sliced through the void.
Its thinness—equal to the aperture of a Black Mist Sphere—made it lethally sharp, surpassing even many treasures. Where it passed, space itself was severed. Xueying could *see* that even the Black Mist Spheres sustained minor cuts. This was a terrifying technique, worthy of the Ninth Level.
With a thought, Dongbo Xueying summoned the Nine-Petal Flower.
A massive black bud descended, effortlessly enveloping the disc. Layer after layer of petals wrapped around it—*shick!* The disc silently sliced through the first flower, triggering its collapse. The explosive backlash weakened the disc, and by the second flower, it barely penetrated before dissipating.
“If not for his illusions, I could unleash multiple Void Wheels.” The Mountain Master stretched out both hands, each now gripping an identical disc—a pair of peerless treasures, lethally thin, amplifying his close-combat prowess. Normally, a few Void Wheels would suffice, but under the suppression of the Scarlet Nightmare’s Tenth Transformation, eighty percent of his focus was tied up resisting illusions. Maintaining melee combat was already his limit.
“Die!”
The Crimson-Browed Mountain Master charged.
Dongbo Xueying waved his hand, summoning Nine-Petal Flowers to entrap him. The Mountain Master slashed wildly with his discs, cleaving through the petals.
*The Nine-Petal Flower excels in binding, but its true strength lies in annihilation. It can restrain Ninth-Level Annihilation Fiends, but against the Crimson-Browed Mountain Master, it’s lacking.* Xueying mused. The Mountain Master’s Void Wheels were Ninth-Level attacks, and now, armed with his twin discs, his combat power soared.
“Annihilate.”
Xueying willed it.
**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!**
One after another, the resplendent Nine-Petal Flowers bloomed—and in blooming, they perished. The Mountain Master roared in frustration, hacking forward, but the waves of destruction forced him to defend with his weapons.
Xueying’s flowers were endless—as some perished, new ones descended.
*I… I can’t win?* The Mountain Master seethed. Though he had sought this battle to temper himself, he had also wanted victory! It had been too long since his last defeat. He prided himself on his supreme talent, looking down on all Chaos Realm experts—even some Cosmic Deities.
In his eyes, they were all fools destined to perish in the Great Destruction.
He took immense pride in his lineage’s heritage and believed his combat prowess unmatched. Yet today, he couldn’t prevail.
*If not for eighty percent of my focus being drained, how could these petals stop me?!* Gritting his teeth, he glared at the white-robed youth beyond the swirling black petals.
He had lost.
Though reluctant to admit it, he knew—illusions were part of Dongbo Xueying’s strength. His opponent hadn’t even used any treasures!
*Truly formidable.* Dongbo Xueying watched from afar, inwardly impressed. *Though I’ve suppressed him completely, even trapping him within the Nine-Petal Flowers, their successive detonations haven’t harmed him. His twin weapons excel in defense, and his Phantom state seems even more advanced than mine?*
Xueying considered his own Phantom state exceptional—after all, with the Fiftyfold Ruler’s Secret and the legacy of Ninecloud Emperor, augmented by General Megu’s scales, he had reached incredible heights. Yet it seemed the Mountain Master surpassed him.
…
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