Only three avian creatures remained, circling around the fiery-red feather. They suddenly halted, all fixing their gazes upon Dongbo Xueying. The largest among them, a massive azure bird, let out an ear-piercing screech.
“Screech—”
Visible ripples spread out in a fan-shaped wave toward Dongbo Xueying, rapidly expanding and sweeping across roughly two to three-tenths of the fragmented world in an instant—naturally engulfing Dongbo Xueying as well.
Even though the protective black light around his body shielded him from the shockwave, the sheer sound alone was enough to cause discomfort.
“Whoosh.” “Whoosh.” The other two birds transformed into streaks of light, lunging straight at him. Meanwhile, the colossal azure bird remained by the fiery-red feather, standing guard.
“Thud. Thud.”
The two avian creatures moved with eerie swiftness, closing the distance in an instant. Before Dongbo Xueying could react, they struck his body, sending him flying far away. As he was hurled backward, his form instantly multiplied into thousands of afterimages, employing Void Dao techniques to confuse his foes.
“Whoosh. Whoosh.” The two birds continued their assault, sweeping through every single afterimage without missing a single one.
Despite their speed, the sheer number of afterimages bought Dongbo Xueying enough time to dodge and weave further illusions.
“Their attacks are terrifyingly powerful, yet they seem… mindless?” Dongbo Xueying pondered silently.
In the previous fragmented world of the black dagger, his opponents had also been similarly dull-witted.
If he didn’t engage, they remained as motionless as statues.
Their attacks were repetitive, following the same patterns over and over.
“Whoosh.”
Dongbo Xueying swiftly closed in on the fiery-red feather.
The two avian creatures seemed to suddenly awaken, flashing back to the feather’s side in an instant. Together with the massive azure bird, they formed a protective circle around the feather, warding off any intruder.
“Boom. Boom. Boom…”
The battle raged on.
Relying on the formidable protection of his black light, Dongbo Xueying repeatedly attempted to seize the fiery-red feather. The three birds, however, only needed to shift slightly within their tight formation. Though their techniques were crude, they consistently thwarted his efforts.
“I need to confuse and divide them.” Dongbo Xueying winced at the rapid depletion of his Snake Fang Marrow Pearl’s energy with each clash. He conjured countless afterimages, warped through the void, and even unleashed his Illusory Realm Dao killing techniques. After hundreds of attempts, his arm suddenly elongated, narrowly grasping the fiery-red feather at the last possible moment.
The instant his fingers closed around the feather, the fragmented world twisted violently, as if a stone had been thrown into a tranquil lake, sending ripples of distortion through reality.
With a final tremor, the fragmented world silently dissolved into nothingness.
Like a dream—vanishing without a trace.
Dongbo Xueying stood in the void, clutching the fiery-red feather, his gaze shifting to the six remaining floating world fragments.
“The world fragment just… dissipated?” he muttered under his breath. “What were those birds? Illusions? No, they could clearly harm me.”
Boom—
As he pondered, an invisible force within the luminous sphere space abruptly repelled him, ejecting him outward.
“Hmm?” Dongbo Xueying steadied himself mid-air, landing firmly on the glowing pathway.
“Hahaha! He’s out! He’s out! Flying Snow Divine Emperor, hurry, come here!” From a distant node along the pathway, Haogu Sovereign’s voice rang out excitedly. His eyes gleamed with anticipation, especially when he spotted the fiery-red feather in Dongbo Xueying’s grasp.
Hearing the call, Dongbo Xueying immediately flew toward Haogu Sovereign.
“Sovereign, what exactly is that luminous sphere space? Why is it so bizarre?” Dongbo Xueying asked, perplexed. He glanced down at the feather in his hand—its temperature was terrifyingly high, but the black light shielding his body kept him unharmed.
“Quick, hand it over,” Haogu Sovereign urged eagerly.
“Here.” Dongbo Xueying passed it to him.
Haogu Sovereign carefully manipulated his protective black light, exposing his bare right hand. Without any defense, he gently grasped the fiery-red feather.
Sizzle. Sizzle. Sizzle.
Though the feather radiated extreme heat, Haogu Sovereign’s hand merely glowed red, wreathed in flames, yet remained completely unscathed.
“Good. Very good. Such a sublime power,” Haogu Sovereign murmured, his voice trembling with excitement. “The power of fire.”
Dongbo Xueying watched silently.
He did not cultivate the Dao of Flames, but even he could sense the profound mystery emanating from both the black dagger and the fiery-red feather within the luminous sphere space. Clearly, they were connected to the Fire Dao—hence Haogu Sovereign’s elation.
With a flick of his wrist, Haogu Sovereign tucked the feather into his robes before turning to Dongbo Xueying with a smile. “Flying Snow Divine Emperor, I owe you my gratitude. Had it been me, I wouldn’t have even been able to enter. Yet you succeeded in retrieving it.”
“But what exactly was happening inside that space?” Dongbo Xueying pressed. “Why was it so strange? The enemies I faced—they kept respawning after being destroyed, as if they were illusions, yet their strength was terrifyingly real.”
“I can’t say for certain,” Haogu Sovereign admitted with a chuckle. “But you know of the ‘Sea of Consciousness,’ where our souls typically cultivate. This great serpent is an immensely powerful Primordial Lifeform, so its Sea of Consciousness is far more peculiar and enigmatic. Though it has perished and its soul dissipated, the remnants of its ‘Sea of Consciousness’ remain profoundly mystical. Sometimes, tangible objects are hidden within, and at other times, mere fragments of memories.”
Dongbo Xueying nodded in understanding.
“However, once you retrieve any item from those luminous spheres, you are immediately expelled. And you can never re-enter the same sphere again,” Haogu Sovereign explained. “I suspect this is a rule set by ‘Meta’—to prevent us from taking more than we should.”
“I see,” Dongbo Xueying murmured.
In that space, the most unsettling presence had been the black dagger. Unfortunately, obtaining it would have been far more difficult, especially since the black-cloaked figure had been gripping it directly—capable of effortlessly blasting him out of the world fragment with a single strike.
“But, Sovereign,” Dongbo Xueying interjected, “once inside, I realized that facing dangers in the luminous sphere rapidly depletes the energy of my Snake Fang Marrow Pearl. While you wait safely at the node, I’m the one taking risks inside. My pearl’s energy drains much faster—so fast that by the time you decide to return, mine might already be exhausted. That would leave me unable to explore the places I wish to visit. Doesn’t that seem… unfair?”
The oath had already been sworn.
Unless Haogu Sovereign initiated the return journey, Dongbo Xueying was still bound to follow his orders. But since negotiations were permitted, he had to voice his concerns.
Haogu Sovereign blinked, then burst into laughter. “Worry not. You’ve already helped me obtain one crucial item. If you can successfully retrieve two more, you’ll be free to act as you please—no longer bound by my commands.”
Securing one item was already a great satisfaction.
Three? That would be cause for celebration. Haogu Sovereign was well aware of the challenges—entering the luminous spheres alone was difficult due to the soul pressure, and retrieving items within was even harder. Some spheres contained no items at all, only fragments of memories.
“Agreed.” Dongbo Xueying smiled. If he could secure three items, Haogu Sovereign’s promise of ‘freedom’ would align with their oath—technically not a violation.
“Then let us proceed to the next location,” Haogu Sovereign declared cheerfully.
He had already mapped out their route.
They would tackle the spheres in order of importance.
The two soared along the radiant pathways, passing numerous nodes. The glowing channels intertwined, leading to various luminous spheres.
Mid-flight, however—
“Another failure. Damn it!”
A frustrated voice echoed through the void as a green-robed figure emerged from a luminous sphere, empty-handed and visibly displeased.
“Hmm?”
Dongbo Xueying and Haogu Sovereign paused, turning toward the source of the voice.
The green-robed man also sensed their presence, lifting his gaze.
Their eyes met.
“Haogu Sovereign… Flying Snow Divine Emperor?” The green-robed man froze in shock.
“Northriver Divine Emperor?” Dongbo Xueying was equally stunned.
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