In the darkness of night, Dongbo Xueying silently transformed into a slender thread, advancing through the void.
“Boom.” “Rip—”
A terrifying surge of energy erupted abruptly ahead.
“The battle has begun.” Dongbo Xueying materialized noiselessly on the branch of a towering tree, gazing into the distance where a roaring river stretched eight hundred miles wide, winding through the heart of Jiangyuan City. Standing atop the river’s surface was a figure—’Divine Emperor Buya’—his black robes now vanished, revealing a body covered in scales, slightly hunched, with eyes like yellow amber brimming with malice. In his clawed hands, he gripped a long spear.
Most eerie of all, a layer of black radiance shimmered across Buya’s scaled body.
“Buya, die!” A flash of golden light heralded the descent of a massive hammer, wielded by a towering man whose entire body blazed with golden energy, his aura overwhelming.
Divine Emperor Buya merely raised his spear, blocking the devastating hammer strike, yet the impact still sent him hurtling backward for miles, churning the river into towering waves.
“Buya’s strength has grown!” The golden-clad man’s expression darkened. As the eldest of the three Tyrant Blood brothers, he wielded unparalleled brute force. In past encounters, Buya had never dared to face his attacks head-on, yet now he had withstood the blow with only minor retreat—unharmed!
“Whoosh!”
A sinister green light pierced toward Buya mid-retreat, but the black radiance enveloping him proved unyielding, deflecting the strike entirely. The green light resolved into the form of a cold-faced youth wielding a dagger in one hand, another dagger poised in the other.
The youth’s eyes widened in shock. “It didn’t pierce?”
“Hahaha! I’ve mastered the Black Gold Pearl and forged the ‘Indestructible Black Gold Body.’ You can’t kill me now!” Buya laughed triumphantly. Renowned for his scaly defense, he had once been vulnerable to the Tyrant Blood brothers—the eldest’s overwhelming force and the youngest’s lethal assassinations. But now, after refining his techniques and acquiring the Black Gold Pearl and three ancient texts at an auction, his defenses had ascended to a new realm.
“Can’t kill you?”
“You’ll die today!”
The Tyrant Blood brothers unleashed their most desperate techniques.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One brother’s brute force and the other’s eerie precision formed a flawless assault, leaving Buya almost defenseless. Yet the black radiance clung stubbornly to his body, and even when pierced, the residual force barely scratched him.
“Third Brother, beware!” The golden-clad man’s face twisted in alarm.
The cold-faced youth, poised for another strike, suddenly recoiled as a gust of wind coalesced beside him, forming a blurred figure that lunged at him.
Bang!!!
The blur unleashed a storm of ten thousand slashes in an instant, a tempest of blades. The youth crossed his daggers, weaving a net of green light to fend off the onslaught.
“Thud.”
Amid the flurry, a crimson flash struck true.
“Ah!” The youth cried out in pain.
“Third Brother!” The eldest Tyrant Blood brother, sensing disaster, arrived just in time, swinging his colossal hammer with earth-shaking force toward the blurred figure.
The figure retreated hastily, unwilling to face the eldest brother’s might head-on—few in the early Divine Emperor realm dared.
“Third Brother!” The golden-clad man caught his sibling. The youth trembled, his body wreathed in bloody mist. “I never thought… Buya would give the ‘Bloodshadow Poison Needle’ to another…”
The Bloodshadow Poison Needle, crafted by the infamous Bloodshadow Cult Leader, ranked among the top twenty deadliest weapons in the Divine Realm. Its venom was single-use but devastating. Buya had somehow obtained a few.
“Second Brother fell to this poison… and now me,” the youth gritted through the pain.
“Feng Xiao! You dare aid Buya against us?” the eldest brother roared.
The blurred figure solidified into a gaunt, skeletal man who smirked. “Buya offered ample rewards. Payment demands service. Blame not me, but your own folly.”
“Fine.”
The golden-clad man glared at Buya. “You gave the Bloodshadow Needle to Feng Xiao? Aren’t you afraid he’ll turn on you?”
Buya scoffed.
Prudent as he was, he’d never have handed over such a lethal weapon without absolute confidence. With his Indestructible Black Gold Body, Feng Xiao couldn’t harm him even if he tried.
“Consider yourself lucky this time, Buya.” Swallowing his fury, the eldest brother stowed his sibling within a spatial treasure and fled in a streak of light.
Feng Xiao and Buya made no move to pursue. The eldest Tyrant Blood brother’s sheer power made him a nightmare to confront.
“At last, peace from their pursuit,” Buya sighed in relief.
“The third brother’s poison won’t be easily purged. He may never trouble you again—or even survive,” Feng Xiao remarked cheerfully.
Buya nodded, though he knew the brothers would seek aid. The poison might be overcome, but not without suffering.
“Now, for the remaining pest.” Buya’s gaze swept the surroundings. “Divine Lord Qingyun, show yourself!”
“Come out!”
Feng Xiao waved a hand, summoning a mountain of wind that crushed the tree where Dongbo Xueying hid. A streak of light darted away as the tree disintegrated, landing on the river’s surface as a black-clad youth—Dongbo Xueying.
“I didn’t expect to be discovered,” Xueying admitted, eyeing Feng Xiao with newfound respect for a Divine Emperor’s perception.
Buya ignored him, scanning the area. “Which Divine Emperor lurks here? Sending a mere Divine Lord to die?”
“There is no other Divine Emperor behind me,” Xueying stated.
“Lies!” Buya and Feng Xiao scoffed. No Divine Lord would dare tail them alone.
“Name your master, and I’ll grant you a swift death,” Buya growled, his scaled face grotesque in the dim light.
“Deceitful, selfish, and cruel,” Xueying said coldly. “At the auction, I traded with you in good faith. But after learning of your atrocities, I decided you’re better off dead. Giving you treasures was a waste. You hid in Tianxin Tower, beyond my reach—until tonight. Rest assured, I act alone. No Divine Emperor backs me.”
“You? Kill me?” Buya laughed uproariously.
Even the Tyrant Blood brothers had failed. What could a Divine Lord do?
The mightiest Divine Lords barely rivaled early-stage Divine Emperors. This was absurd!
“Then die, and we’ll see who emerges!” Buya didn’t bother with his spear, charging like a phantom across the river, claws slashing toward Xueying.
Feng Xiao watched warily, still suspecting a hidden foe.
…
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