“Are there many floating islands with them?” Dongbo Xueying’s eyes lit up.
“Indeed,” His Highness the Seventh Plum Rain nodded. “These terrifying eyes are scattered across various floating islands. According to the records of our Blood Flame Clan alone, there are 522 of them. However, Flying Snow Divine Emperor, I must warn you—these eyes cannot be taken away. Even touching them invites punishment, and those with weaker strength are instantly annihilated by the power they unleash!”
“Might I purchase the information regarding the floating islands where these ‘eyes’ are recorded?” Dongbo Xueying asked, though he knew the request was somewhat excessive.
Information about floating islands—
Whether for cultivators from the Heart Realm Continent or the native clans—was among the most closely guarded secrets.
Such knowledge was earned through life-and-death struggles. Many dangers appeared deceptively ordinary until one suffered firsthand. Generations of accumulated experience! The native clans occasionally traded intelligence among their worlds, but detailed records of each floating island were priceless and never shared lightly.
“Flying Snow Divine Emperor, you have done our Blood Flame Clan a great kindness,” said His Highness the Seventh Plum Rain, glancing at Dongbo Xueying. Behind him, the other top-tier experts of the Blood Flame Clan exchanged silent whispers.
“The information you seek, our Blood Flame Clan can provide,” His Highness continued. In the clan’s prime, such intelligence would have been unthinkable to share. But now, with only this remnant left, His Highness was their leader. Dongbo Xueying’s aid had been immeasurable.
Without him, their clan might have faced annihilation.
Moreover, the native clans were divided into many factions, and the Blood Flame Clan was known for its boldness and clear sense of gratitude. Had they encountered a more selfish or deceitful group, Dongbo Xueying and his companions would never have obtained such intelligence so easily.
“However, I must clarify in advance,” His Highness added. “Over the ages, though we have recorded 522 floating islands with those terrifying eyes, our clan was not foolish enough to explore every single one exhaustively. Take the island we just left—the Netherspirit Fruit was crucial to us, so we investigated it thoroughly. Of the 522 islands, we possess absolutely detailed intelligence on 18, moderately detailed records on 89, and only rough sketches of the rest.”
“That is more than sufficient. I am deeply grateful for your assistance, Your Highness,” Dongbo Xueying replied earnestly.
“Haha… Flying Snow Divine Emperor, there is no need for such gratitude. Without you, our Blood Flame Clan might not have survived this calamity,” His Highness said with a laugh, retrieving a scroll and handing it over.
Dongbo Xueying accepted it.
As his consciousness probed the scroll, a flood of information surged into his mind.
“We had hoped to invite you to our Blood Flame World as guests, but for now, we are fugitives. Once we reclaim our home, I shall send envoys to the Heart Realm Continent to extend our invitation,” His Highness said.
“I reside in Flying Snow City, within the Southern Cloud Nation. I shall await your summons,” Dongbo Xueying replied with a smile. He felt profound gratitude toward His Highness. Initially, he had aided them out of camaraderie, considering the loss of a few clones trivial. Yet now, he had gained invaluable intelligence in return.
A simple act of kindness had yielded unexpected rewards.
Such was the way of fate.
Had Dongbo Xueying been cold-hearted and watched the native clan battle the ‘Emperor’ without intervening—or worse, believed their struggle would buy him more time—he would never have reaped such benefits.
—
The two groups parted ways reluctantly.
Only after the Blood Flame Clan’s party had vanished did the Swordmaster speak. “Xueying, you mentioned a gray eye atop the Netherspirit Fruit tree?”
“I stayed behind to assist His Highness and saw it then,” Dongbo Xueying explained. “That eye is unfathomably mysterious and aids my cultivation. Since we have already conquered this floating island, where shall we go next?”
“Haha, Brother Flying Snow, you wish to visit those 522 islands with the mysterious eyes, don’t you?” the Insect Ancestor teased.
Dongbo Xueying chuckled. “Strictly speaking, having cleared one, we have 521 left.”
“We have no fixed destination,” the Swordmaster agreed. “We came to the floating islands to temper ourselves and seek opportunities. If these eyes aid your cultivation, then let us pursue them. With the intelligence provided by His Highness, our task will be far easier.”
Though the Summerflame Kingdom possessed detailed records of some floating islands, those had long been explored by figures like Emperor Xia and Patriarch Fan.
In contrast, many of the islands documented by the Blood Flame Clan remained largely untouched by the Heart Realm Continent’s forces.
“Thank you,” Dongbo Xueying said. “Then let us prioritize islands with lower danger levels and more detailed intelligence.”
The Insect Ancestor nodded.
“You decide,” the Swordmaster said simply.
—
Thus, the trio began their exploration of the floating islands, guided by the intelligence they had acquired.
They targeted islands with thorough records and manageable risks—many of which had never been deeply probed by Heart Realm cultivators.
The floating islands were marvels unto themselves. While the ‘gray eyes’ enhanced Dongbo Xueying’s mastery of the Illusory Realm Dao, other peculiar phenomena benefited the Swordmaster.
A towering crimson mountain, radiating a terrifying aura of destruction, stood upon one island. The Swordmaster gazed at it, entranced—it revealed the path forward in his cultivation.
—
“Such treasures! So many Crimson Bamboo Fruits!”
A cluster of swaying red fruits exuded an intoxicating fragrance. A swarm of insects surged forth, enveloping and carrying away every last one. “Brother Flying Snow, Brother Demon Sword, these fruits are invaluable to insect beasts. I claim them all.”
“Of course, they’re yours,” Dongbo Xueying and the Swordmaster replied with smiles. The fruits were useless to them beyond trade value.
—
“Absolutely extraordinary.”
Dongbo Xueying sat cross-legged upon a churning, murky river, carried along its relentless flow.
The river looped endlessly, spanning nearly a hundred billion miles per cycle.
Within its currents, he perceived the workings of a higher-tier Void Dao—an application bordering on the Primordial level.
“Xueying, hurry! The Deathblight Clan approaches!”
“Brother Flying Snow, we must leave!”
The urgent mental transmissions from the Insect Ancestor and Swordmaster snapped him back to reality.
“Let’s go!”
After lingering on the river’s surface for as long as he dared, Dongbo Xueying fled with his companions.
—
Time flowed on.
The trio explored island after island, their progress smooth due to their careful selection of well-documented, lower-risk locations. Dongbo Xueying’s illusion techniques swept aside ‘King’-class foes and even affected ‘Emperor’-class Deathblight beings. The Swordmaster’s combat prowess was peerless, his methods flawless. The Insect Ancestor’s swarms scouted tirelessly.
They successfully navigated thirty-two floating islands, reaping rewards both great and small. Beyond the insights that furthered their cultivation, the sheer volume of treasures they amassed would have stirred envy even among invincible existences.
Naturally, the spoils were divided among them.
Of the three, Dongbo Xueying and the Swordmaster prioritized cultivation, while the Insect Ancestor coveted rare artifacts.
—
“Fascinating.”
Among the thirty-two islands they explored, each—thanks to their intelligence—revealed the same mysterious eyes.
Dongbo Xueying studied the deepest structures of each eye, utterly captivated.
“Of the thirty-three eyes I’ve observed, twenty-five are gray, and eight are gold. The gray eyes embody one form of illusion—enticing and ensnaring foes. The gold eyes, however, manifest illusions that annihilate directly.”
Memorizing the intricate compositions of each eye, Dongbo Xueying—standing at the pinnacle of the Illusory Realm Dao across countless source worlds—discerned the truth. Even the original owner of these eyes, that terrifying Primordial lifeform, wielded them as innate abilities without comprehending their underlying profundities.
During his explorations, Dongbo Xueying had repeatedly sent clones to touch the eyes.
Each time, the clones were obliterated—yet each time, he faintly sensed the presence of that monstrous Primordial being.
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