Chapter 1306: The First on the Divine Emperor List

“Quite a few people must have witnessed that battle just now,” the chubby man chuckled.

“Indeed,” Palace Master Wu Ma Hai nodded.

An invisible ripple immediately spread out, permeating in all directions and swiftly infiltrating the souls of the nearest ten thousand denizens of the Divine Realm. Among them, the strongest was only at the mid-stage Divine Lord level. Before a powerhouse at the ‘Divine Emperor Perfection’ tier, the gap in strength was far too vast—probing their souls and sifting through their memories was effortless.

Among these ten thousand denizens, over a hundred had personally witnessed everything that transpired on the second floor of the tavern. After all, the most dazzling young lady of Lingfeng City had been captured, and many nearby residents had naturally been tense, watching from afar! Though they dared not linger in the conflict zone, most had retreated to their homes. Little did they know that even hiding indoors wouldn’t spare them from soul-probing.

Not only Palace Master Wu Ma Hai, but also the chubby man—City Lord Xingfeng—was conducting soul-probing.

“What!” Palace Master Wu Ma Hai’s expression darkened.

“This…” City Lord Xingfeng was also stunned.

From the memories they sifted through, the battle scenes they observed all showed a white-robed man pointing from a distance. The space around Divine Emperor He Dong twisted slightly, and then he collapsed, dead on the spot.

“One move?”

“Just one move? And so casually?”

Palace Master Wu Ma Hai’s face twisted in displeasure.

Earlier, he had assumed the other party was sneaking around and hiding their true identity out of fear of him, ‘Palace Master Wu Ma Hai.’ But the scene he now witnessed showed the other party killing Divine Emperor He Dong with a single, effortless strike.

“Just one move,” City Lord Xingfeng sighed. “Among powerhouses at the late-stage Divine Emperor level, there are probably only three or five who could kill Divine Emperor He Dong in a single strike. What’s most terrifying is that this white-robed man didn’t even engage in close combat—he merely pointed from a distance, across spatial separation, and annihilated Divine Emperor He Dong so effortlessly. That almost certainly places him at the Divine Emperor Perfection tier.”

“Not necessarily,” Palace Master Wu Ma Hai gritted his teeth. “The killer might have altered the surrounding scene, deliberately making those ordinary Divine Realm denizens ‘see’ it that way. This could all be an illusion, not the truth.”

“Brother Wu Ma makes a fair point,” City Lord Xingfeng conceded. “But judging by the residual traces around the tavern and the spatial distortions that damaged nearby walls and furniture, there’s at least an eighty percent chance the scene was real. If it’s an illusion, then the killer’s deception is flawless.”

“Help me check if there are any Divine Emperor-tier experts in the city,” Palace Master Wu Ma Hai said.

“Very well.”

City Lord Xingfeng nodded.

…

Dongbo Xueying lifted his wine cup again, taking a leisurely sip, when suddenly faint starlight began to appear around him. The starlight spread rapidly, enveloping the entire city.

“This domain covers quite the range,” Dongbo Xueying remarked with surprise. The starlight was undoubtedly the work of City Lord Xingfeng, who was capable of ‘Starlight Traversal.’ Countless motes of light probed the strength of every living being in the city. However, given Dongbo Xueying’s current soul prowess, even if City Lord Xingfeng’s probing were ten times more potent, it would still be useless against his disguise.

“The two of them,” Dongbo Xueying mused, looking up.

He saw Palace Master Wu Ma Hai and City Lord Xingfeng flying out of the tavern and hovering mid-air, scanning the entire city.

“With City Lord Xingfeng here, Palace Master Wu Ma Hai probably won’t vent his anger on the innocent,” Dongbo Xueying thought to himself. City Lord Xingfeng had a mild temperament, befriending all factions and never one to slaughter the weak. Though his strength was slightly inferior—only at the late-stage Divine Emperor level—his ‘Starlight Traversal’ ability granted him immense prestige. He was on brotherly terms with many Divine Emperor Perfection experts and was treated with great respect by the three royal clans.

With City Lord Xingfeng present, Palace Master Wu Ma Hai would likely restrain himself.

“Daring to kill my disciple, yet too cowardly to reveal your identity?” A voice brimming with malice boomed across the city, shaking the hearts of every denizen in Lingfeng City. The entire city fell silent as Palace Master Wu Ma Hai’s voice continued to echo overhead. “This grudge, I, Wu Ma Hai, will remember.”

The ominous voice faded.

Palace Master Wu Ma Hai scanned his surroundings, waiting briefly before exchanging a few words with City Lord Xingfeng beside him.

Whoosh!

Starlight flashed once more, and the two vanished within it, departing Lingfeng City.

Truthfully, though Palace Master Wu Ma Hai was a notorious fiend, his atrocities typically involved slaughtering entire clans—’city-wide massacres’ were rare. Moreover, since the culprit this time was Dongbo Xueying, Palace Master Wu Ma Hai’s target was clear. Had the early-stage Divine Emperor ‘City Lord Lingfeng’ still been present, he might have been captured. But with only weaklings left in the city and his friend City Lord Xingfeng by his side, it was hardly appropriate to unleash indiscriminate slaughter.

“This grudge, remembered?” Dongbo Xueying smirked.

The master of the Demonic Heart Sect had said something similar once.

Dongbo Xueying chuckled, sipping his wine and savoring the dishes, utterly at ease. He harbored no fear of Palace Master Wu Ma Hai. The reason for his low-profile disguise was simple—he hailed from another world! Both he and the equally discreet ‘North River Emperor’ were outsiders here, and thus naturally inclined to keep a low profile.

Drawing too much attention risked attracting the notice of normal powerhouses—but worse, the three Primordial Ancestors! These were the creators of this world, beings even Dongbo Xueying and North River Emperor dreaded.

If he ever chose to act boldly…

It would mean this world no longer held any allure, and his departure was imminent.

…

After a satisfying meal and ample wine:

“The Withered World Leaf is secured. Now, only the Golden Lightning Primordial Pearl remains,” Dongbo Xueying pondered. The Withered World Leaf was relatively abundant in the Divine Realm, easily obtained while eliminating fiends. But the ‘Golden Lightning Primordial Pearl’ was the true challenge—only three existed in the entire Divine Realm, each with formidable origins.

One belonged to City Lord Golden Wing, a late-stage Divine Emperor powerhouse ranking among the elite of his tier. His position on the ‘Divine Emperor Ranking’ was an astounding 39th! He could nearly match a Divine Emperor Perfection (Supreme-tier) expert in combat.

Another was held by Ascender Divine Emperor ‘Chun Yu,’ a mid-stage Divine Emperor. As an Ascender, he ranked 162nd on the Divine Emperor Ranking.

The last was ‘Pavilion Master Yunliu,’ a mid-stage Divine Emperor who, unlike an Ascender, was only slightly stronger than Divine Emperor He Dong. Yet, despite countless late-stage Divine Emperors coveting his Golden Lightning Primordial Pearl—and even some Perfection-tier experts eyeing it for their descendants—no one dared seize it. Why?

Because Pavilion Master Yunliu was the doted-upon grandson of ‘City Lord Yunfeng’—the undisputed number one on the Divine Emperor Ranking, a being of unparalleled terror.

“All three are troublesome,” Dongbo Xueying mused.

“City Lord Golden Wing is the strongest. As a native of the Divine Realm, despite being only a late-stage Divine Emperor, his combat prowess nears the Supreme-tier. But his strength relies heavily on external aids like the Golden Lightning Primordial Pearl. Without those treasures, he’d likely plummet to the 80s or 90s on the ranking.” Dongbo Xueying smirked. This strongest contender was ironically the least intimidating to him.

Reliance on treasures and bloodline power made him vulnerable. Under the third killing move of Dongbo Xueying’s Illusory Realm Dao, such external boosts would be nullified—if the target could even remain conscious.

“The Ascender Divine Emperor, at the mid-stage, undoubtedly possesses exceptional soul and willpower. Had I not created my third killing move, subduing him wouldn’t be so simple,” Dongbo Xueying admitted. “But now, he’s manageable.”

“The real headache is Pavilion Master Yunliu.” Dongbo Xueying frowned.

Pavilion Master Yunliu resided in Yunfeng City—home to the Divine Realm’s most terrifying powerhouse. To rank first among Divine Emperor Perfection experts, her feats included slaying one such being in history, along with defeating and severely injuring over ten others. Most of these battles stemmed from Perfection-tier experts seeking to hone their skills through sparring.

The one who died had simply overestimated himself and provoked City Lord Yunfeng.

“To slay a Divine Emperor Perfection…” Dongbo Xueying pondered. “Does City Lord Yunfeng rival an Ascender at that tier?”

Ascenders could transcend tiers in combat.

A late-stage Ascender Divine Emperor could match a native Perfection-tier expert. How fearsome, then, would a Perfection-tier Ascender be?

In this Divine Realm…

Based on Dongbo Xueying’s gathered intelligence and deductions from scattered clues, at least two Perfection-tier Ascenders had appeared in history—yet both had vanished mysteriously.

“According to records, among the three, Pavilion Master Yunliu is the most spoiled and arrogant, responsible for the greatest sins. But his nature isn’t inherently evil—some of his misdeeds were even orchestrated by those exploiting him.” Dongbo Xueying sighed. With such a formidable background, many sought to manipulate the young master.

“City Lord Golden Wing’s sins rank second. He’s ruthless, typical of a Divine Realm powerhouse, though not quite a full-fledged fiend.” Dongbo Xueying noted. The city lord was merciless in battle, a common trait here, but his frequent involvement in conflicts led to higher body counts.

“The Ascender Divine Emperor is the most reclusive, devoted solely to cultivation and rarely entangled in disputes.”

“Three Golden Lightning Primordial Pearls… How should I obtain one?”

Dongbo Xueying fell deep into thought.

…