In the primordial world of “Hunyuan Void,” a small boat drifted through the endless expanse. Seated cross-legged at its prow was Dongbo Xueying.
Now was a critical moment in his cultivation.
Whether it was his avatar in the Heart Realm Continent or his true body in his homeland, even the one beneath the “Heart-Searing Divine Tree” had temporarily halted its contemplation of the Illusory Path of the Void. All his avatars were now wholly devoted to mastering the Dao of the Void!
“Sky, Earth, Void, Origin, Rage—five intertwined. The Aspect of Space encompasses them, while the Aspect of Threads connects them!”
Dongbo Xueying sat motionless at the boat’s prow, his right hand lightly sweeping through the air.
*Rip—*
A black fissure suddenly tore through the heavens and earth, splitting apart the Hunyuan Void and even the membrane of the primordial world. Beyond this gash, roughly ten miles long and as thick as a finger, surged the turbulent power of Hunyuan.
*Rip! Rip! Rip!*
With each gentle wave of his hand or flick of his finger, the primordial world was sliced open, revealing gaping rifts.
Dongbo Xueying tested his techniques here, while his avatar within the Seven-Bell Tower of the Heart Realm Continent devoted itself entirely to refining his insights. The Seven-Bell Tower greatly enhanced his cultivation efficiency, allowing flashes of inspiration to continuously perfect his moves. Each refinement was then tested repeatedly in the void.
The sound of the primordial world’s membrane being torn was enough to make one’s heart tremble.
Gradually, however, the noise grew fainter, and the rifts became increasingly inconspicuous.
After more than ten days—
*Hiss.*
A soft sound, like a breath, whispered through the air.
With a gentle sweep of his palm, a continuous, nearly imperceptible fissure appeared in the void—stretching three hundred miles long, so fine it was barely visible to the naked eye. Its path even carried a faint rhythm, neither purely straight nor curved.
“Almost there. Controlling it to this degree is sufficient. The next step is to combine three ‘Thread Aspects’ into one, unifying them through the ‘Multiverse Aspect’ before returning all to annihilation,” Dongbo Xueying mused.
The Dao of the Void consisted of nine branches: Sky, Earth, Void, Origin, Rage, Thread, Space, Multiverse, and Annihilation.
“Threads intertwine, the Multiverse unites, all returning to annihilation.”
Dongbo Xueying murmured these words as his right hand swept out once more.
This time, each finger moved with delicate precision.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.*
Three rifts tore through the world’s membrane, swiftly converging into a single, pitch-black hole over ten meters in diameter.
“No, this is too crude.”
He tried again.
With each attempt, his countless avatars shared their insights, merging their realizations. Failed ideas were swiftly discarded, while successful ones were absorbed. Step by step, he inched closer to the perfected vision in his mind. Having wielded both a Hunyuan divine weapon and peak-tier treasures, Dongbo Xueying had experienced the ultimate realm of the Void Dao. Now, he strove relentlessly toward that very pinnacle.
—
“Five threads converging—that’s the key.”
After half a year of experimentation, Dongbo Xueying finally recognized his earlier mistake. The sixth killing technique he sought to create was inspired by the movements of that terrifying Hunyuan lifeform. Yet, despite repeated trials, something always felt off. Only after meticulously recalling the creature’s flight did he confirm the truth.
Five threads, not three.
The tail moved in three, but the colossal body itself was one, and the surging Hunyuan power harmonizing with its motion formed another.
Thus, five in total.
“Five threads converging—one as the guide, one as the momentum, three as the foundation.”
“Multiverse united, returning to annihilation!”
Seated at the prow, Dongbo Xueying continued refining his technique. Each iteration grew more violent, eventually drawing the attention of the Sword Master and Stone Golem. Watching from afar, they merely chuckled before departing. Such disturbances were to be expected from one of Dongbo Xueying’s caliber.
—
Even with the framework in place and the aid of the Seven-Bell Tower, it still took Dongbo Xueying over twenty thousand years to succeed.
Countless obstacles arose.
For instance, merging five threads—each with countless variations—required flawless synergy, a perfect dance of the Multiverse.
Then, one day—
*Boom!*
After twenty millennia of cultivation, Dongbo Xueying’s eyes flashed as he threw a single punch forward.
The void around his fist shattered into utter silence, rupturing the world’s membrane and sending terrifying ripples into the boundless Hunyuan space.
This strike mirrored the unstoppable advance of that colossal Hunyuan lifeform—overwhelming, indomitable.
Dominant.
Unrelenting.
The nine branches of the Void Dao had finally merged, with Annihilation as their ultimate conclusion—the great silence of all things.
“The sixth killing technique is complete. The ultimate realm… is mine.” Dongbo Xueying’s heart raced, his face breaking into an irrepressible smile. This sixth technique was the flawless fusion of all nine branches. At last, he had grasped the complete Dao of the Void.
“Ultimate. I’ve finally reached the ultimate!”
“The ultimate in the Void Dao!”
“Ha… hahaha!”
Laughter burst forth, unrestrained.
It had been too long.
Ever since learning of his homeland’s impending destruction, an invisible weight had pressed upon him. He could not bear the thought of watching his loved ones perish, leaving him alone in the ruins of existence. That solitude would have driven him mad.
Never had he allowed himself to slacken. Stuck at the bottleneck after merging eight branches, he had no choice but to push forward, crafting what he believed to be the perfect techniques.
One after another—the first killing move, the second, the third—each honed his foundation.
And now, at last, the dam had broken.
Inspired by the profound mysteries within that Hunyuan lifeform’s movements, a spark of insight had birthed the sixth killing technique—the one that unified all nine branches.
“The ultimate Void Dao… it feels different indeed.”
Standing at the boat’s prow, Dongbo Xueying extended his will through the countless spatial particles of the primordial world, instantly enveloping his entire homeland. He saw everything—the Sword Master, the Stone Golem, Ancestor Tianyu, the Blade Sovereign, his wife Yu Jingqiu, his children Dongbo Yu and Dongbo Qingyao…
Countless lives, unaware of his gaze.
For this perception stemmed from the fundamental black mist particles of the void.
Only one being noticed.
“Hm?”
In an ordinary universe, City Lord Luo—currently disguised as a blacksmith—paused in crafting a blade. Raising his head, his gaze traversed immeasurable distances, settling amusedly on Dongbo Xueying.
“Dongbo Xueying,” he spoke, his voice carrying across the void. “Congratulations. Before the Great Destruction, you’ve attained the ultimate in the Void Dao. Now, you can save those you cherish.”
Dongbo Xueying now knew of this figure’s identity.
Even within the Broken Tooth Mountain Range, legends spoke of City Lord Luo—a newly ascended Hunyuan lifeform who had achieved the pinnacle through sheer force, rivaling even the likes of “Yuan.” If comparisons were to be made, the two fallen Hunyuan behemoths of the Broken Tooth Mountain Range paled before him.
This was the difference between cultivators and born Hunyuan lifeforms.
No matter how powerful the latter were, their control over power paled in comparison. Cultivators, having ascended step by step, wielded the mysteries of the Dao with unparalleled finesse. Even if City Lord Luo’s raw strength matched those monstrous beings, his survivability surpassed theirs tenfold, if not a hundredfold.
Just as the Heart Realm’s “Summer Emperor” and the World Lords of the Broken Tooth Mountain Range were both at the initial Imperial level—
Yet, against a Great Emperor—
The World Lords stood no chance, while the Summer Emperor could escape, even fight multiple foes at once. His ability to survive was simply on another level.
“Without your World Blossom, City Lord Luo, I might never have reached this point,” Dongbo Xueying replied.
“Opportunities can be given, but strength must be grasped by one’s own hands,” City Lord Luo said with a faint smile. “Cultivate well. If you can reach the ultimate in the Illusory Path of the Void, then I might truly admire you.”
The ultimate in the Void Dao?
To a being like City Lord Luo, who overlooked countless primordial worlds from the apex of existence, it was hardly noteworthy.
But the path of the soul…
No one had ever reached its end. If Dongbo Xueying could achieve it, even City Lord Luo would be impressed—as would every other supreme Hunyuan existence.
“I will strive for it,” Dongbo Xueying said, now free from the pressure of the Great Destruction. He had all the time he needed.
Yet he knew the Illusory Path of the Void would not yield easily. Even with the road now visible, the difficulty was immense. His breakthrough in the Void Dao had only come after reaching a bottleneck, studying supreme legacies, and creating the sixth killing technique.
City Lord Luo lowered his head, resuming his work on the blade.
“If the soul’s path reaches its end… what wonders might unfold?” he murmured. “Dongbo Xueying… perhaps you truly have the potential to ascend to Hunyuan. Then, I wouldn’t need to remain here, watching over this place.”
The rhythmic clang of hammer on metal filled the air once more.
“Blacksmith! Bring out your hardest blade—the absolute toughest you have! Find one that satisfies me, and you’ll be rewarded!” A boisterous voice rang out as a burly man barged in.
“Coming!” City Lord Luo replied with a grin.
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