Dongbo Xueying stood up in the quiet chamber, his form subtly shifting—his appearance altering, even his aura transforming into something as cold as ten-thousand-year ice. For someone of his level, changing one’s aura was trivial; even altering one’s soul essence was simple. The real challenge lay in resisting certain ‘peering’ techniques.
In this world, some powerful beings possessed unique divine abilities due to their bloodlines. Certain abilities allowed them to see through others’ strength—like the ‘Jade Light Divine Eye’ of that butler Yun. The ancestral bloodline originated from the three Hunyuan powerhouses who created this world, naturally granting them all sorts of mystical traits. Even a Divine Emperor-level expert, if skilled in peering techniques, could surpass Butler Yun in such methods.
Before this, Dongbo Xueying hadn’t been confident in resisting such probing.
But now…
“With my mastery of the soul path, no one below the Hunyuan level should be able to see through my true strength,” Dongbo Xueying mused. Having comprehended the third move of the Illusory Realm Dao, his soul had undergone another transformation, standing at the threshold of a qualitative leap. Just a little more, and he would achieve that leap—where his soul could merge with the essence of a world, becoming immortal as long as the world endured.
Now, with his soul essence altered, Dongbo Xueying was confident that no one could pierce through the veil of his soul power to discern his true self.
“One more sword,” he murmured, stretching out his hand. A divine sword in its sheath materialized in his grasp. With a faint smile, he flicked his wrist, and the sword settled onto his back.
Clad in white robes, the divine sword strapped behind him, his aura surged—rising directly to the late-stage Divine Emperor level, brimming with sharpness.
Of course, all of this was merely an effortless disguise enabled by his soul’s uniqueness. If he wished, he could even mimic a peak Divine Emperor, but there was no need.
“Rip.”
A black spatial rift tore open in the quiet chamber.
Dongbo Xueying stepped into it and vanished, heading straight for Iron Dragon City.
—
**Iron Dragon City.**
This was an extraordinarily prosperous metropolis. The fact that the Iron Dragon City Lord ranked seventh among the thirty-plus peak Divine Emperor-level powerhouses spoke volumes of his terrifying strength. After all, even the innate Hunyuan lifeform ‘Valley Lord Fu Liu,’ capable of unleashing peak Divine Emperor-level combat power and sheltering a group of innate Hunyuan lifeforms, only ranked twelfth.
“Iron Dragon Manor,” Dongbo Xueying murmured, streaking across the sky as a beam of light before descending before a towering, sprawling estate. The manor’s grounds were so vast they eclipsed even the entirety of Junshan City, spanning over a million miles.
“Roar—”
Occasional roars echoed from within the manor.
Dongbo Xueying recognized them instantly—they belonged to the innate Hunyuan lifeform ‘Nine-Horned Annihilation Dragon.’ In this divine realm, there were only two such creatures, both residing in Iron Dragon Manor. They maintained a cooperative relationship with the Iron Dragon City Lord: they sought his protection, while his cultivation scripture, *Indestructible Iron Dragon*, benefited immensely from their assistance.
Thanks to them, the Iron Dragon City Lord had nurtured all five of his children to the Divine Emperor level—though it had cost him a fortune in treasures. His lineage had produced over a hundred Divine Emperors, a feat greatly aided by those two Nine-Horned Annihilation Dragons.
“Innate Hunyuan lifeforms in this world truly live pitifully,” Dongbo Xueying mused. “With so many powerhouses around, even their formidable survivability can’t save them from being overwhelmed and slain.”
In the Broken Tooth Mountain Range, the utilization of innate Hunyuan lifeform corpses was minimal, so the Five Supreme Rulers couldn’t be bothered to hunt them. But this world… clearly had far more advanced methods.
“Esteemed Divine Emperor, what brings you to Iron Dragon Manor?” The guards at the gate eyed the white-robed man with the divine sword on his back, sensing the terrifying sharpness in his aura. They couldn’t help but tense slightly, their tone polite yet wary.
“I am Qingyun, here to seek an audience with the Iron Dragon City Lord,” Dongbo Xueying replied.
“Our City Lord does not receive guests lightly,” one guard frowned. Though the white-robed man’s aura was formidable, they weren’t intimidated. After all, their Iron Dragon Manor boasted a peak Divine Emperor as its lord, along with eight late-stage Divine Emperors—most of whom governed their own cities, though three remained in the manor. Mid and early-stage Divine Emperors were even more numerous.
“Please relay my request,” Dongbo Xueying said.
“Very well. Wait here.” Given the man’s strength, the guard agreed to deliver the message.
Dongbo Xueying sighed inwardly.
*This is Iron Dragon Manor, after all. If I’d only maintained a mid-stage Divine Emperor aura, they might not have even bothered to report my visit without a compelling reason.*
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the guard returned. “The Eldest Young Master will see you. Follow me.”
“Understood.” Dongbo Xueying stepped inside. The Eldest Young Master? The Iron Dragon City Lord had five children, and the strongest was his eldest son—a late-stage Divine Emperor. According to intelligence, this eldest son usually managed the manor’s affairs, as the City Lord himself was too preoccupied with cultivation, striving to break through to the Hunyuan lifeform level.
Any peak Divine Emperor could be called a ‘semi-Hunyuan lifeform,’ standing at the threshold of true Hunyuan. For those cultivating bloodlines, a breakthrough would mean an ultimate awakening, ascending to true Hunyuan status.
“This way,” the guard led, flying at a leisurely pace. “Do not wander. Iron Dragon Manor has many forbidden zones off-limits to outsiders.”
“Understood.” Dongbo Xueying followed.
The manor spanned a million miles, and the guard’s slow flight meant it took a while before they arrived at a garden.
“Young Master, Divine Emperor Qingyun has arrived,” the guard announced respectfully.
Dongbo Xueying looked ahead.
A black-robed man lounged casually on a seat, flanked by two stunningly beautiful women serving him wine and fruit.
The man was handsome, but his gaze carried an imperious air as he waved dismissively. “Leave us. Divine Emperor Qingyun, if you don’t mind, join me for a drink.”
“Who would refuse wine in Iron Dragon Manor?” Dongbo Xueying smiled, sitting cross-legged.
This black-robed man was the Eldest Young Master of Iron Dragon Manor—’Iron Dragon Yunshan,’ ranked 85th on the Divine Emperor Leaderboard. His strength owed much to his father’s support and rare treasures, but regardless, his ranking by the Tianxin Clan spoke volumes of his power. As the de facto ruler of Iron Dragon City’s vast forces, his domineering demeanor was a natural result of long-held authority.
“Divine Emperor Qingyun, a late-stage Divine Emperor? Yet your name doesn’t appear on the Tianxin Clan’s Leaderboard,” the Eldest Young Master remarked lightly. Iron Dragon Manor had its own detection methods—he’d even tasked a mid-stage Divine Emperor subordinate to probe the visitor, confirming his late-stage strength.
“I’ve lived in seclusion, cultivating. Hence my absence from the rankings,” Dongbo Xueying replied.
“Hah! Whether you’re truly a recluse or masking your aura with some technique, I care not,” the Eldest Young Master laughed. “What matters is why you’ve come.”
He couldn’t care less about the visitor’s identity.
With his strength and his father’s backing, he feared no one in the divine realm—not even the three royal clans. Though the royal clans had the ‘Three Hunyuan Ancestral Gods’ behind them, every inhabitant of this world was technically a descendant of those gods. As long as one didn’t foolishly attack the royal clans’ strongholds, even skirmishes with their members rarely drew the Ancestral Gods’ intervention.
But assaulting a royal clan’s base? That would be a direct challenge to the Hunyuan Ancestral Gods themselves.
“I’m here for the corpse of a void-attribute Hunyuan lifeform,” Dongbo Xueying stated. “I wish to acquire it. What price must I pay for Iron Dragon Manor to part with it?”
The Eldest Young Master’s eyes gleamed. “Since you’ve come for it, you must know how rare void-attribute Hunyuan lifeform corpses are. In the entire divine realm, there are only three—two still alive, and one corpse here. Its escape and survival skills made slaying it far harder than ordinary Hunyuan lifeforms.”
“I’m aware,” Dongbo Xueying nodded.
This was precisely why he’d waited until mastering the third killing move of the Illusory Realm Dao before negotiating.
…
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