The frail old man’s eyes flickered with scenes unfolding before him… The Crimson-Browed Mountain Lord’s avatar spied outside the Ancient Sacred Realm, gloating over Dongbo Xueying’s demise… The Crimson-Browed Mountain Lord deliberately leaked intelligence… He sought his master’s assistance… The Myriad Realms Tower Master assassinated Dongbo Xueying… The Crimson-Browed Mountain Lord persuaded the Myriad Realms Tower Master to strike…
Following the thread of the Crimson-Browed Mountain Lord, he peered into all recent events experienced by both his true form and avatars.
Clearly, in terms of espionage, he surpassed even the Sacred Master.
The investigation results were evident—the Sacred Master hadn’t lied! Everything had been orchestrated by the Crimson-Browed Mountain Lord, who even pushed the reluctant Myriad Realms Tower Master into action.
“*Huff.*”
The frail elder cast a glance at the Sacred Master before vanishing into thin air.
The Sacred Master stood still, his eyes glinting coldly. “*The Crimson-Browed Mountain Lord? Hmph, using me?*” Had there been no loss, he wouldn’t have cared. But the stakes were too high this time, and his wrath naturally turned toward the Crimson-Browed Mountain Lord. Unable to exact vengeance himself, his thoughts turned to the Stone Elder—a peer of equal standing.
The Stone Elder had also reached the Ultimate Realm, but his path was one of inward cultivation rather than external reliance. His philosophy of “*from within to without*” had honed his physical form to unfathomable heights, granting him supreme control over the Chaos Void.
With a mere thought, his body could manifest anywhere in the Chaos Void.
His indomitable will could forcibly uncover all past events.
His strength was entirely his own.
His pursuit… was the extreme empowerment of the self, to the point of shattering the very cage of the Chaos Void.
Meanwhile, the Sacred Master sought dominion over the Chaos Void, to become its sovereign—a path that would naturally transcend its confines. Their differing philosophies dictated divergent methods.
The Stone Elder’s mastery of self-cultivation was unparalleled. Even the Boundary Ancestor, who inherited fragments of his legacy, remained untouchable by the Sacred Master under normal circumstances.
Though the Stone Elder had been grievously wounded earlier, the Sacred Master’s strike—delivered at the cost of burning his Ancient Sacred avatar—was a one-time feat, leaving him incapable of further threatening the Stone Elder. Conversely, the Stone Elder, now weakened, posed no threat to the unscathed Sacred Master, whose true form remained unharmed.
—
**Chaos Void, Azure Sky Realm.**
The Crimson-Browed Mountain Lord lounged, attended by beautiful maids, sipping fine wine in high spirits.
“*Fighting me?*”
“*To die so simply, without suffering—what a mercy.*” He chuckled derisively, savoring the wine. Manipulating the lofty Sacred Master to eliminate that Dongbo brat filled him with pride. After all, not just anyone could exploit the Sacred Master and walk away unscathed.
Thanks to his cloning technique, even the Sacred Master could do nothing to him.
“*Hmm?*” The Crimson-Browed Mountain Lord frowned, lifting his gaze.
A frail elder leaning on a cane stepped across the threshold into the hall. The guards outside stood frozen, the very air around them solidified.
A tremor of terror shot through the Crimson-Browed Mountain Lord’s heart—an unprecedented sense of lethal threat.
“*Esteemed Senior…?*” He rose hastily, adopting a deferential tone. He knew when to bow his head. The aura of this figure before him radiated menace on par with the Sacred Master. Having once perished by the Sacred Master’s hand—only to revive via his cloning technique—he recognized such dread.
“*Dongbo Xueying never wronged you. You sought his death merely for mastering Void Transference?*” The frail elder eyed the crimson-browed man with disdain. Probing his past had revealed a creature of utter selfishness, even scheming against his own master. Such cultivators were beneath his contempt—unworthy of discipleship.
And this very fool, exploiting the Sacred Master’s greed, had doomed his disciple.
“*Dongbo Xueying? I—I didn’t kill him! I couldn’t have!*” the Crimson-Browed Mountain Lord protested. “*Senior, I swear, this has nothing to do with me! My senior brother did attempt it, but failed. With his power, survival treasures, and Void Transference, only the Sacred Master could have slain him!*”
In his mind, his tracks were well-covered. Denial was effortless.
“*Denying it?*” The Stone Elder chuckled darkly, sending chills down the Crimson-Browed Mountain Lord’s spine. “*Do you truly believe you could hide anything from me? Now, prepare to die.*”
The surroundings seemed to solidify.
The Crimson-Browed Mountain Lord shuddered, finding himself paralyzed.
“*It’s fine… So what if he’s powerful? I have cloning. Even the Sacred Master couldn’t kill me.*” He reassured himself, though regret gnawed at him. “*But all my treasures here are lost… What a waste.*”
*Whoosh.*
The frail elder smirked coldly. Extending his senses, he pierced through layers of interference obscuring the Crimson-Browed Mountain Lord’s other clone—hidden deep within a secluded cavern of a distant continent in the Chaos Void. His mastery over self allowed him to forcibly suppress all obstacles, instantly pinpointing the concealed body.
The elder vanished.
The Crimson-Browed Mountain Lord blinked.
A mere instant later, the elder reappeared—now gripping another crimson-browed figure.
“*H-How…?*” The captured clone’s eyes widened in horror, mirroring the terror of the original still standing behind the table.
Their lineage prided itself on spatial mastery. His clone’s hiding place had been fortified by his master’s own arrays—a sanctuary he believed *none* could breach. Yet here was the undeniable truth: this mysterious elder had effortlessly seized his other self.
“*Master!*” Both clones cried out in unison.
“*Spare me, Senior!*” they pleaded outwardly.
Suddenly, an intangible ripple permeated the air.
The Stone Elder, holding one clone aloft, watched coldly, in no hurry to deliver the killing blow. His gaze fixed on the unfolding phenomenon.
Then, a translucent figure materialized—a bird-headed humanoid silhouette.
“*Master, save me!*” both clones wailed.
The avian specter turned toward the Stone Elder, transparent brows furrowing slightly. It failed to recognize the frail elder’s identity. *Who in the Chaos Void, besides the Sacred Master, wielded such power?*
“*So you’re the one who sneaked into our Chaos Void?*” The Stone Elder sneered. “*I’ve been napping, ignoring your presence. Quite the audacity for an outsider.*”
“*Esteemed Daoist,*” the specter implored, “*please grant me face and spare my disciple.*”
“*Grant you face? You?*”
*Boom!*
The clone in the Stone Elder’s grip exploded. Simultaneously, the Crimson-Browed Mountain Lord behind the table burst into nothingness—utterly annihilated.
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