Standing in his quiet chamber, holding the Azure River Spear, he unleashed his Void Domain.
The vast domain instantly enveloped the entire Heart Realm Continent, avoiding only a few select locations. Immediately, he detected the Undying Netherworld Emperor—hidden deep beneath the wilderness in a massive, concealed palace. Within its halls lay numerous chambers serving as the emperor’s experimental grounds, where countless souls endured gruesome trials.
Twelve towering pillars stood, each bearing a powerful vengeful spirit. The twelve spirits exuded an overwhelming aura.
Other peculiar souls lurked, some so eerie they unsettled even Dongbo Xueying.
“How many souls have been consumed for these experiments?” Dongbo Xueying’s eyes faintly reddened with fury. Though the number of deaths paled in comparison to the vast multitudes lost in the Fifteen Kingdoms, it still matched the entire population of a third-rate nation. “A madman. If the path of cultivation leads to such demonic acts, he must be slain.”
*Rip—*
A black rift tore through the air. With a single step, Dongbo Xueying vanished.
Great Void Shattering Teleportation!
—
Within the towering palace, the Undying Netherworld Emperor continued his experiments with patience. He hadn’t even begun his attempts on the corpse of the Meta lifeform—in his eyes, it was far too early. Preparatory trials had to be perfected, ensuring at least a ninety percent success rate before he dared touch the Meta remains. And his confrontation with Dongbo Xueying had occurred mere tens of thousands of years ago.
“The experiments proceed smoothly.”
“Back then, I succeeded in forging a complete Deathwalker. Though conditions now prevent large-scale sacrifices, crafting an incomplete version is no challenge. I originally planned to succeed within a trillion years. But judging by the current progress, it may not even take a hundred billion.” The emperor’s mood was buoyant.
“Once complete… Hmph. Ying Shan Xueying, I’ll start by annihilating your Snowfall City. Didn’t you relocate the entire Ying Shan Clan there? I’ll wipe them all out—only then will my fury be quelled.” The emperor savored the thought.
A complete Deathwalker was a half-Meta lifeform, capable of rivaling a Paramount Monarch.
Even an incomplete one, in the emperor’s estimation, could match an Imperial Lord’s might!
Destroying Snowfall City? Child’s play.
“Just wait. No one can save you.”
“Unless you reach the Ultimate realm before I finish.” The emperor scoffed at the impossibility.
*Rip!*
Suddenly, a black rift split the air in the grand hall. A white-robed youth stepped forth—none other than the prodigious Snowfall Imperial Lord. Gripping an obsidian spear, he glared coldly at the emperor and declared, “Netherworld Emperor, your time of death has come!”
“Ying Shan Xueying?!” The emperor jolted in shock. Though Xueying’s aura was sharp and vast—something that could be feigned—the Meta weapon in his hand left no doubt. The Snowfall Imperial Lord might take risks, but never with a Meta weapon. Losing a clone was trivial, but losing such a treasure would be catastrophic.
Bringing it here meant absolute confidence. The worst-case scenario had arrived.
“You… you’ve reached the Ultimate realm?” The emperor’s voice turned hoarse.
*“Roar—!”*
*“Screech!”*
The twelve vengeful spirits bound to the pillars sensed the intruder, several unleashing ear-piercing howls.
Dongbo Xueying glanced at them. Most were frenzied and vicious, stirring only pity in his heart. “Rest assured, I’ll avenge you soon.”
“I have indeed reached the Ultimate realm. Surprised?” Xueying’s gaze remained fixed on the emperor.
“Surprised… very surprised.”
The emperor understood.
He faced his greatest crisis yet. On his path toward Meta life, he’d encountered many dangers—but back then, countless powerhouses existed, and he was but one among many, always escaping death’s grasp.
Here in the Heart Realm Continent, no one could save him now.
“I suspected you had a high chance of reaching the Ultimate realm. But not this quickly.” The emperor rose to his feet.
“What surprises you is how soon your death has come! Enough talk—face your end!” A cold glint flashed in Xueying’s eyes. *Boom!* The Illusory Realm descended—his newly perfected killing move, *The Radiance of the Illusory World!* The dazzling, mesmerizing realm exerted an overwhelming pull on the emperor the moment it touched him.
*“No!”* The emperor’s heart sank.
In terms of soul and willpower, the Illusory Realm’s impact on his psyche was nearly identical to its effect on a Paramount Monarch.
But the five monarchs of the Broken Tooth Mountain Range possessed formidable bloodlines. They cared little for profound insights—even with weaker mental fortitude, their raw power remained devastating. Cultivators, however, relied on intricate techniques. A weakened psyche drastically diminished their strength.
“The impact on my power is worse than I feared.” The emperor knew he was in dire straits.
*“Boom!”*
Dongbo Xueying thrust the Azure River Spear forward.
With that single strike, the surrounding world seemed to collapse, exerting crushing pressure on the emperor. Within the emperor’s body, two drops of golden blood ignited within his metallic heart, channeling an esoteric golden force into his palms. Without hesitation, he met Xueying’s thrust head-on.
The spear seemed ordinary, yet the moment it moved, it had already pierced one golden palm.
*Bang—!*
The emperor was sent flying, shattering the hall behind him and carving a trench hundreds of thousands of miles long—all the way from the underground depths to the surface.
*“Falling Star Strike.”*
Xueying stepped through the earth, emerging mid-air. His spear swung down in a furious slash.
*Boom!*
The heavens trembled.
Countless streaks of chaotic gray light swirled around the spear, coalescing at its tip into a dark, embryonic star. The descending spear resembled a black comet streaking across the sky, crashing toward the emperor. The attack was too fast—before the emperor could react, the dark star was upon him. He barely raised his hands in defense.
*Crack!*
Agony seared through his palms as bones shattered. The spear’s momentum carried through, slamming into his body and sending him hurtling once more, blood spraying from his lips.
“The gap is this vast?!” The emperor had deliberately taken the blows to gauge their disparity. By his estimate, his current strength was only thirty to forty percent of Xueying’s.
“The Illusory Realm halves my power. Even at my peak, unaffected, I’d still be slightly weaker?”
His full strength amounted to roughly seventy percent of Xueying’s.
He’d long suspected that once Xueying broke through, he’d become the Heart Realm’s undisputed strongest. But facing the reality chilled him to the core. “This is truly perilous.”
The stench of death hung thick in the air.
—
Though the battle had just begun, the sheer intensity of their clash—Xueying’s Ultimate realm power and the Meta weapon’s unleashed fury, matched against the emperor’s formidable might—sent shockwaves rippling across the continent.
Even the emperor’s meticulously fortified palace was obliterated in an instant.
The tremors of their duel…
Were sensed by every Cosmic God in the Heart Realm.
*“What’s happening?”*
*“Such terrifying fluctuations?”*
Some observed from afar through the Heaven-Mirror, while others relied on their own abilities to spy. The Summerflame Emperor, Fan Ancestor, Ashen Emperor, Swordmaster, Infinite City Lord, and the Mo Tian Monarch—all watched in stunned silence.
Their vision revealed two towering figures radiating overwhelming auras: the Snowfall Imperial Lord and the infamous Undying Netherworld Emperor—the latter already wounded.
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