“Don’t you like it?” Yufeng Qingyin sounded somewhat disappointed.
“It’s decent, just not quite to my taste.” Dongbo Xueying smiled as he set down the wine cup.
“Oh.” Yufeng Qingyin quickly produced another flask of wine. “I have more, Master. Try this one.”
Flask after flask of fine wine, meticulously collected by her, was offered for her master to taste.
In the end, Dongbo Xueying graciously accepted three varieties, and Yufeng Qingyin happily presented him with a large quantity, as she had prepared ample reserves of each.
“Enough about wine. How is your cultivation progressing? Why are you still stuck at the peak of the Divine Monarch realm? Have you encountered any obstacles preventing your breakthrough?” Dongbo Xueying inquired.
Yufeng Qingyin immediately looked embarrassed.
Back when Dongbo Xueying returned from Iron Dragon City, he had promptly bestowed the ‘Withered World Leaf’ upon his disciple. This treasure was an extraordinary aid for bloodline cultivation—so remarkable that even the eldest son of Iron Dragon Manor had deliberately sought it for his own descendants. After Dongbo Xueying gave it to his disciple, her cultivation speed naturally soared, further accelerated by the other treasures he frequently rewarded her with.
After all, he had slain Divine Emperor He Dong, eliminated three Divine Emperors under the command of the Cloudflow Little Tower Master, and plundered all of the latter’s treasures. Even the eldest son of Iron Dragon Manor had been stripped of his possessions, and the Iron Dragon City Lord himself had surrendered treasures worth a hundred thousand Meta Crystals. Most of these items were useless for his own cultivation in the profound mysteries of the Dao, and the truly top-tier ones were only beneficial for late-stage or even perfected Divine Emperors—certainly not for his disciple.
His disciple was, after all, merely at the Divine Monarch level! Moreover, overly extravagant treasures might invite calamity if given to her.
The Withered World Leaf was the most precious item he had given her. The other miscellaneous treasures, though individually not overly valuable, amounted to a fortune exceeding ten thousand Meta Crystals in total—many of which had originally belonged to the Cloudflow Little Tower Master as cultivation aids.
“I feel I’m close, very close to a breakthrough,” Yufeng Qingyin quickly replied.
“Hmph. Since my emergence from seclusion, I’ve heard that your elder brother, Yufeng Lei, has broken through to the mid-stage Divine Emperor realm,” Dongbo Xueying pressed. “Did you give some of your treasures to him?”
Yufeng Lei of the Yufeng Clan was indeed extraordinarily gifted.
Before Dongbo Xueying’s arrival, Yufeng Lei had been the strongest among peak Divine Monarchs. Upon advancing to the early-stage Divine Emperor realm, his power surpassed even that of his father, Yufeng Junshan. Now, upon Dongbo Xueying’s emergence from seclusion, news had reached him that Yufeng Lei had broken through to the mid-stage Divine Emperor realm.
“No, no!”
Yufeng Qingyin hastily denied, flustered. “Master, look—the treasures are still with me!” As she spoke, a storage bracelet appeared on her wrist.
Dongbo Xueying swept his gaze over it, his consciousness easily penetrating the bracelet. The Withered World Leaf was still there, and most of the other treasures remained as well.
“Treasures are meant to be used! If you don’t use them, how will you break through?” Dongbo Xueying frowned. “Within the next hundred million years, you must consume at least ten percent of these treasures. Strive to reach the early-stage Divine Emperor realm as soon as possible.”
For denizens of the Divine Realm cultivating bloodline power, reaching the early-stage Divine Emperor realm was achievable with sufficient treasures, provided one’s comprehension was passable.
Take the Iron Dragon City Lord, for instance—he had nurtured all his children to the Divine Emperor stage. Even the Cloudflow Little Tower Master, who loathed cultivation and indulged in pleasures, had been forcibly elevated to the mid-stage Divine Emperor realm.
“Yes, yes.” Yufeng Qingyin obediently agreed, secretly relieved.
She had indeed gifted some treasures—those particularly effective for her brother—to Yufeng Lei. After using them, coupled with his accumulated cultivation over nearly three hundred billion years, he had felt confident in breaking through to the mid-stage Divine Emperor realm.
While her brother was in seclusion, Yufeng Qingyin had even temporarily lent him the Withered World Leaf. Their sibling bond, forged over countless years, made her trust him implicitly.
And Yufeng Lei had indeed succeeded, advancing to the mid-stage Divine Emperor realm. After his breakthrough, he promptly returned the Withered World Leaf to his sister. After all, such treasures were most beneficial to the weak—their efficacy diminished as one grew stronger, becoming negligible by the mid-stage Divine Emperor realm.
“Once Qingyin reaches the Divine Emperor stage, I can leave this world,” Dongbo Xueying mused silently.
Having obtained the corpse of a Meta lifeform from the Void lineage, this world held little allure for him now. At most, before departing, he would spar with the Divine Realm’s strongest—Cloud Phoenix City Lord—and attempt to trade for the cultivation scriptures of the most powerful Void Dao ascender. Once those matters were settled, he could leave.
In this world…
The only one Dongbo Xueying truly cared about was his disciple. Since she had formally acknowledged him as her master, he would do his utmost to arrange everything for her. He had already guessed that she had likely shared some treasures with her brother, Yufeng Lei. After all, among the treasures he had given her, some were particularly useful for early-stage Divine Emperors.
“Perhaps it’s for the best. A stronger brother will only benefit her,” Dongbo Xueying thought.
Just as he was sipping wine and discussing cultivation with his disciple, suddenly—
“Rumble—”
The earth beneath Junshan City trembled as if rippling like water.
In an instant, the entire city shook violently. Structures collapsed with thunderous crashes, and chaos erupted everywhere.
“What’s happening?”
“This vibration…”
Panic spread through Junshan City as countless denizens of the Divine Realm looked skyward. The terrifying tremor had made the very heavens and earth within the city’s boundaries shudder—as if everything might be annihilated at any moment.
“Hmm?” Dongbo Xueying frowned and immediately stood.
“Master, what’s going on outside?” Yufeng Qingyin asked, alarmed.
“Don’t worry.” Dongbo Xueying led his disciple out of the room and onto the corridor, gazing into the distance. His eyes locked onto a figure hovering mid-air, wreathed in a bloody aura. The sight made his expression shift slightly.
“Him? The Shadowfiend Sect Master, ranked ninth on the Divine Emperor Rankings? What business does he have in Junshan City?” Dongbo Xueying was both shocked and puzzled.
As an outsider who had descended into this world, he had made very few enemies.
There should be no grudge between him and the Shadowfiend Sect Master.
So then…
Why had the Shadowfiend Sect Master come to Junshan City? And why did his presence radiate such hostility?
—
At this moment.
The Shadowfiend Sect Master stood high above Junshan City, his oppressive aura making the very heavens and earth tremble. Below, the entire city quaked violently. Buildings crumbled one after another, with only those reinforced by formations managing to hold. Countless denizens of the Divine Realm paled, their hearts gripped by terror under the suffocating pressure.
A perfected Divine Emperor—the pinnacle of existence in the Divine Realm. With but a thought, such beings could reduce a radius of millions of miles to ruins. Who in Junshan City wouldn’t fear such power?
“It’s the Shadowfiend Sect Master.”
“That’s him—the Shadowfiend Sect Master.”
The massive blood-red cloak, the dark crimson hide, the horn that seemed capable of piercing the heavens, and those bloodthirsty eyes gazing down—the Shadowfiend Sect Master’s visage was unmistakable among the perfected Divine Emperors.
Many powerful figures in Junshan City recognized him instantly.
And that recognition only deepened their dread.
Ninth on the Divine Emperor Rankings?
A being of such stature had never before set foot in Junshan City throughout history.
“Why has he come here?” The Tianxin Tower’s Tower Master Xing felt a surge of unease and immediately sent a message to his superiors.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures flew out from the Yufeng Clan’s estate—manifestations of Yufeng Junshan and Yufeng Lei. Both were deeply unsettled. The Shadowfiend Sect Master’s infamous reputation and ruthless demeanor had cowed them into sending only avatars, fearing their true bodies might be obliterated with a mere wave of his hand.
“The Shadowfiend Sect Master’s presence honors Junshan City,” Yufeng Junshan said respectfully, bowing. “I am the city’s lord. May I inquire as to the purpose of your visit? If there is anything the Yufeng Clan can assist with, we shall spare no effort.”
“I’ve come for a reason.”
The Shadowfiend Sect Master’s lips curled slightly. His gaze swept across the city before settling on a white-robed youth standing beside Yufeng Qingyin on a distant corridor within the Flying Snow Estate.
Silence engulfed Junshan City.
Even infants dared not cry under the crushing weight of his soul’s pressure. Countless denizens stared upward at the blood-drenched figure dominating the sky.
“Divine Emperor Flying Snow, come forth and meet your death!” The Shadowfiend Sect Master’s voice boomed like thunder, echoing through every corner of the city. The weaker denizens clutched their ears, collapsing to the ground as blood trickled from them.
“Divine Emperor Flying Snow?” Yufeng Junshan and Yufeng Lei exchanged alarmed glances.
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