Chapter 1175: The New Ultimate Realm

Dongbo Xueying walked up to the hovering dark spear, looked up at it, and reached out to grasp its shaft.

The moment his hand touched it, the sensation was incredibly comfortable, yet it sent a shiver through his soul, as if his very essence had connected with the weapon.

“A Hunyuan Divine Weapon. I never imagined I would possess one,” Dongbo Xueying murmured, his eyes gleaming. Across the entire Heart Realm Continent, there were only a dozen or so Supreme Treasures, and even counting those lost after the fall of invincible beings, the number barely exceeded twenty. But a Hunyuan Divine Weapon? In terms of rarity, even Supreme Secret Arts were harder to obtain than Supreme Treasures—yet a Hunyuan Divine Weapon was even more elusive than those.

Over countless eons, the invincible beings of the Heart Realm Continent had accumulated a fair amount of Hunyuan Sand, yet Dongbo Xueying was the only one who had ever gathered it on such a massive scale. From this, it could be inferred that there was likely only one Hunyuan Divine Weapon in existence across the entire continent.

“Exhale.”

He sat cross-legged, placing the spear across his knees. As his mind melded with the weapon’s sentience, he began the gradual process of refining it.

Refining a Hunyuan Divine Weapon was inherently arduous—even for a Cosmic God, it should have been an impossible feat. Fortunately, every part of this spear had been personally forged by Dongbo Xueying. The intricate and painstaking process of its creation had already served as a “preliminary refinement,” making the current task far easier.

In just three hundred years, the Qinghe Spear was fully attuned to his will.

“Originally, I could only execute the first three strikes of the *Hunyuan Seven Strikes*. But now, with the Qinghe Spear, I can unleash the first five,” Dongbo Xueying mused with satisfaction. Without this weapon, even if he reached the Ultimate realm, this would have been his limit.

“I must meditate deeply on this.”

Though his strength had increased significantly, the Hunyuan Divine Weapon ‘Qinghe Spear’ was merely a stepping stone—a tool to help him better comprehend the Dao of Void and the power of Hunyuan.

…

The fact that Dongbo Xueying had forged the Hunyuan Divine Weapon ‘Qinghe Spear’ remained unknown to the rest of the Heart Realm Continent. The vast world continued its relentless march forward, though the sudden emergence of the ‘Heavenheart Daoist’ had greatly improved order across the land. The frequency of ‘Great Slaughter’ events had decreased by a hundredfold—a testament to the deterrent power of a supreme expert.

In the blink of an eye, another three hundred billion years passed.

Dongbo Xueying remained in seclusion, deep in cultivation. Through insights gained from the World Flower and the execution of the ‘Hunyuan Five Strikes’ with the Qinghe Spear, he even developed the fifth killing technique of his *Flying Snow Combat Art*. Its power was terrifying, and it possessed an extraordinary escape effect—a variation of the *Great Void Transference Technique*.

Truth be told, Dongbo Xueying’s *Great Void Transference Technique* was still relatively weak. If an Ultimate expert were to perform it, it would be far more profound and flawless—capable of not only transporting themselves but also other living beings.

Then, one day, news reached him.

“What? The Demon Sword Master has broken through to the Ultimate realm?” Dongbo Xueying was stunned. “So soon?”

The Demon Sword Master had once fought side by side with him in the Heart Realm Divine Palace. Even when the Eternal Night Primogenitor had targeted Dongbo Xueying, the Demon Sword Master had done his utmost to intervene—truly a friendly figure.

However…

The Demon Sword Master was the newest Venerable of the Cang Clan in the Xiawind Ancient Nation, and also the youngest among them.

Despite his youth, he had surpassed other Venerables—including the likes of Fuyi the Great and the Heaven-Rending Great Venerable—to become the first to reach the Ultimate realm.

“Ultimate,” Dongbo Xueying whispered.

Through his own arduous cultivation, he understood just how difficult it was to reach this stage.

He had long since achieved the fusion of eight Daos, possessed the World Flower, mastered Supreme Secret Arts, and had unparalleled comprehension. Yet even now, after creating five killing techniques and accumulating immense depth, he still felt just a hair’s breadth away. He had no idea when he would finally take that crucial step.

Fuyi the Great, the Lord of Southcloud, the Heaven-Rending Great Venerable—all were similarly trapped at the bottleneck.

Across the Heart Realm Continent, aside from the invincible beings, the number of Ultimate experts could be counted on two hands.

How few they were!

The Xiawind Ancient Nation, aside from its three invincible beings, had no Ultimate experts—until now. The Demon Sword Master was the first in countless eons to achieve this status outside of those three.

“A Grand Ceremony for the Ultimate? The Demon Sword Master has treated me well. I must select a worthy gift and attend,” Dongbo Xueying thought.

…

The Xiawind Ancient Nation finally had an Ultimate expert.

A grand celebration for this momentous occasion was held in ‘Cangdi City,’ the core city of the Cang Clan, one of the three great families of the nation. Powerhouses from all corners of the world arrived to offer their congratulations.

The dozens of surrounding nations naturally dared not refuse.

Even the other five great ancient nations sent envoys, while rulers of smaller nations came in person.

“I’ve never seen so many Cosmic Gods in one place,” Dongbo Xueying, appearing as a white-robed youth, remarked as he arrived alongside the Lord of Southcloud. After presenting their gifts, they were ushered into a vast hall and seated among the guests.

At a glance, the hall was packed with over five hundred Cosmic Gods—and these were just the ones who had come to offer congratulations. It was a stark reminder of the difference between the Heart Realm Continent and the Chaos Void.

“The birth of an Ultimate expert is rare. Lone practitioners or those from minor nations usually don’t hold such grand ceremonies. Only the ancient nations go to such lengths,” the Lord of Southcloud commented. “Moreover, this Demon Sword Master’s rise has been astonishingly swift—becoming a Cosmic God, then a Venerable, and now an Ultimate in such a short time. His cultivation span is brief—longer than yours, but he’s only entered the Heart Realm Divine Palace once!”

“Now that he’s reached the Ultimate realm, with his staggering speed, he may very well obtain a Supreme Treasure in the next opening of the Divine Palace.”

“And the three—Xia Emperor, Cang Emperor, and Patriarch Fan—will undoubtedly spare no effort to aid him. So, when the Divine Palace opens again, it’s highly likely the Demon Sword Master will claim a Supreme Treasure,” the Lord of Southcloud mused. “The reason so many Cosmic Gods are here is partly to honor the Xiawind Ancient Nation, but also to curry favor with the Demon Sword Master—who may well become the next invincible being.”

Dongbo Xueying nodded.

“Of course, during the ceremony, the Demon Sword Master may also demonstrate the path of the Ultimate realm. That’s another reason so many have come,” the Lord of Southcloud added, his eyes betraying a hint of longing.

How he yearned—to reach the Ultimate himself.

“Ultimate,” Dongbo Xueying murmured silently.

Today, he was attending another’s celebration. He wondered when his own breakthrough would come. Only then could he rescue his loved ones, bringing them out of the Chaos Void to safety in another source world.

“Isn’t that the Flying Snow Emperor?”

“The Flying Snow Emperor came with the Lord of Southcloud. He’s kept a low profile. Rumor has it he gained tremendous rewards during the last opening of the Heart Realm Divine Palace—only to be annihilated by the Eternal Night Primogenitor. All his avatars were destroyed, his treasures seized. He’d just attained Venerable-level strength, but now, stripped of his treasures, his power has plummeted. What a pity.”

“Becoming a Venerable is no easy feat. To gain and then lose it all…”

The hall buzzed with over five hundred Cosmic Gods—each a ruler of their own domain, a monarch or high-ranking official of their nation. Rarely seen in ordinary times, they now mingled freely, discussing one another.

When the topic turned to the ‘Flying Snow Emperor,’ some expressed sympathy, while others took secret delight in his misfortune.

Of course—

All these exchanges were via sound transmission. None dared speak openly. They might disregard the Flying Snow Emperor, but the Lord of Southcloud’s face had to be saved.

“Snow Eagle, many Cosmic Gods seem to pity you,” the Lord of Southcloud noted, observing the glances cast their way. Though some smiled, others looked at Dongbo Xueying with unreadable expressions. “If they knew you were the Heavenheart Daoist, I wonder how they’d react.”

“These Cosmic Gods are of little consequence,” Dongbo Xueying replied via transmission. He cared not for their opinions. “What truly matters to us is reaching the Ultimate. My current strength is merely borrowed from external means.”

“Indeed. The Ultimate,” the Lord of Southcloud murmured in agreement.

Master and disciple—both yearned for the same goal.

“He’s here.”

The hall fell silent as four figures materialized atop the dais. Cang Emperor, Xia Emperor, and Patriarch Fan stood at the center, while the ‘Demon Sword Master’ took his place at Cang Emperor’s left.