Although the perception of that terrifying Hunyuan lifeform was vague and indistinct—so much so that even the exact number of its ‘eyes’ couldn’t be discerned—Dongbo Xueying could still imagine it vividly. That Hunyuan lifeform, with its countless densely packed eyes gazing at its enemies, would first ensnare them in an illusion, then annihilate them within it! Under such a dual assault, even if one survived, their soul would suffer severe impact, and their combat prowess would likely plummet drastically.
“Such a Hunyuan lifeform, with a body larger than even a Sacred Realm… A mere collision would likely shatter a nation like the Xia Wind Ancient Country to dust,” Dongbo Xueying mused inwardly. Fortunately, such terrifying existences were dealt with by equally formidable Hunyuan powerhouses like ‘Meta’ and ‘City Lord Luo.’
—
In the capital of the Xia Wind Ancient Country, atop the Fan Clan’s Demon Mountain…
Beneath the sprawling canopy of the low, thick-branched Heart-Searing Divine Tree, a white-robed youth sat cross-legged. To avoid detection by the Undying Nether Emperor, this cultivation avatar had altered both its appearance and aura. However, given the defenses of the Xia Wind capital and the Fan Clan’s vigilance, it was unlikely the Undying Nether Emperor could spy here.
“Swish.”
A leaf, carved like deep purple jade, drifted before his eyes. Dongbo Xueying watched it with a faint smile, his mind still vividly recalling the illusionary structures within the 33 mysterious eyes he had observed earlier. Those two types of illusions—one to bewitch and lure enemies, the other to annihilate souls—were composed differently. The 25 gray eyes were all fragments of the same illusion, still vastly incomplete even when combined. Yet, to Dongbo Xueying, despite their incompleteness, they radiated an unparalleled beauty.
So exquisite.
‘Approaching the Dao,’ ‘Comprehending the Dao.’
Dongbo had now ‘Approached the Dao,’ standing just a hair’s breadth away from the Ultimate. Thus, he was qualified—and capable—of discerning the extraordinary within each of those mysterious eyes.
“At my current realm, I dare not hope to master the killing techniques of that terrifying Hunyuan lifeform,” Dongbo Xueying thought to himself. “But by studying them, I may yet devise techniques suited to myself—that is still within reach.”
What defined a killing technique?
Take the Void Path, for instance, with its nine branches. Merging five of them allowed the creation of the perfected ‘Five Phases Sealing Art,’ whose might reached the threshold of a Third-Step Cosmic God. Even at the same realm, the application of techniques varied, leading to differences in power.
Thanks to his study of supreme legacies, Dongbo Xueying had already devised five killing techniques in the Void Path, each capable of rivaling an ordinary Ultimate-level combatant—how utterly transcendent!
Yet in the ‘Illusory Realm Path,’ despite his profound accumulation, Dongbo Xueying lacked truly transcendent killing techniques. Crafting such techniques required inspiration—whether from witnessing others’ techniques, drawing from supreme treasures, or following supreme legacies. In short, it demanded a spark.
Guidance made it far easier.
Now, the gray and golden eyes had provided Dongbo Xueying with that guidance.
“By simplifying and absorbing their essence, I may yet forge my own killing techniques. Creating them will deepen my accumulation, bringing me closer to the Ultimate.” Dongbo Xueying closed his eyes, resuming his cultivation. He dissected and studied the illusionary structures of the 33 mysterious eyes, integrating them with his own Illusory Realm Path.
With the aid of the Heart-Searing Divine Tree, his progress was exceptional.
Among his avatars, only the one beneath the Heart-Searing Divine Tree and the one seated in Feixue City, wielding the Hunyuan Divine Spear, possessed full, undivided souls. The others—including his primary combat avatars exploring the Broken Tooth Mountain Range—typically retained only 70% of his soul.
Having absorbed a drop of heartblood from the Ten-Thousand-Tentacled Dragon Mother, Dongbo Xueying’s soul was extraordinarily robust. Even with just 70% of his soul, he could fully unleash his illusionary techniques while simultaneously executing other killing moves.
“As my realm rises, the Heart-Searing Divine Tree’s assistance diminishes,” Dongbo Xueying noted. Still, even weakened, its effects far surpassed other cultivation aids.
—
The trio—Dongbo Xueying and his companions—descended onto a floating island, their 34th exploration target.
“Let’s hope this island holds some treasures. Our last haul was nearly negligible,” the Insect Ancestor remarked.
“Floating islands vary in rewards. Though many treasures are useless to the Deathblade Clan and the Natives, countless cultivators from the Heart Realm Continent have scoured them over the ages—even the Invincible Ones. We’ve been fortunate,” Dongbo Xueying chuckled. “Thanks to Brother Feixue and Brother Yaojian, I’ve reaped quite a windfall,” the Insect Ancestor grinned.
“And to the Bloodflame Clan,” Dongbo Xueying added. “Let’s proceed cautiously. Though this island is low-risk and well-documented, we mustn’t let our guard down.”
Well-documented only meant most dangers were recorded—not all.
“Move out.” The Insect Ancestor’s black robe shattered into countless insects, scattering into the surroundings. Dongbo Xueying deployed his illusions, while the Sword Master remained relaxed, only engaging against true threats.
The trio advanced swiftly, cloaked in spatial concealment. Experience had taught them such measures were limited—floating islands inherently repelled outsiders, and Deathblade Clan members could sense them at close range. Still, stealth was preferable to brazen flight.
Speed was key. The slower they moved, the higher the risk of detection.
Every encountered Deathblade was slain instantly. Dongbo Xueying’s illusions could annihilate even ‘Kings,’ unless they were among the elite. Eliminating them delayed the clan’s awareness. Once, they had stormed an island’s core undetected for over an hour, forcing even the top-tier Kings into panicked retreat—his illusions prevented them from alerting their ‘Emperor.’
Leaving a deterrent avatar behind, they escaped unscathed.
That time, they had ransacked the entire island, reaping immense rewards. The island’s Emperor had slumbered on, undisturbed—Dongbo Xueying dared not provoke it, nor extend his illusions near it. Awakening it would spell disaster. Killing a slumbering Emperor? Impossible. The Deathblade and Native clans were innately formidable, unlike cultivators reliant on external treasures.
Such a sweeping victory, however, was a rare feat.
Their experience now guided them to delay detection as long as possible.
“Whoosh—”
The trio raced forward.
“Wait. Stop.” Dongbo Xueying’s gaze fixed on a colossal lake ahead, spanning hundreds of millions of miles, its waters rippling gently.
“How could a lake this vast exist?” The Sword Master was stunned.
Dongbo Xueying shared the intel with his companions—absolute trust for the Sword Master, and deep gratitude toward the Insect Ancestor, Batuchen, for his aid in crises.
All three knew the records. This lake was undocumented.
“The Bloodflame Clan’s intel covered 18 islands in detail. This one was only partially documented, but a lake of this size wouldn’t be omitted,” Batuchen murmured. “If their records aren’t false, where did this lake come from?”
Their prior explorations left no doubt in the Bloodflame Clan’s intel.
“This lake…” Unease prickled at them.
“I’ll scout it.” Dongbo Xueying summoned a combat avatar, which advanced cautiously, illusions extending toward the lake.
The moment they touched the water—
The massive lake *moved.*
“Boom—”
As if heaven and earth inverted, the lake transformed into a gaping maw—merely the mouth of an unfathomably vast creature. Most of its body emerged from the void, the rest still hidden. Its jaws descended faster than the trio could flee.
“It’s *him*—the Hunyuan lifeform, ‘Stone Abyss Emperor!'” The Sword Master paled.
Dongbo Xueying and Batuchen’s expressions darkened. This was their most terrifying foe yet—one that evoked sheer despair.
“This time… we may not escape,” Batuchen whispered.
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