“Release us at once, and you might still have time to flee. Otherwise—” The red-robed elder attempted to threaten, but his words abruptly choked in his throat as his eyes widened in shock.
Dongbo Xueying cast a cold glance at him.
He had long sealed their powers, so silencing them was effortless. By his nature, such ruthless fiends who sought to snuff out countless lives would have been slain outright. Those black-robed men, eager to curry favor with the red-robed elder, had even volunteered to capture masses of innocent, powerless souls.
They all deserved death. But for now, he would spare them—they were bait to lure out the mastermind behind them.
*Let’s see who you really are.*
With a thought, Dongbo Xueying ensnared the twelve black-robed men in an illusory realm, effortlessly coaxing them to reveal the identity of their master. Since this was no great secret, the master had left no restrictions, and the black-robed men obediently spilled everything.
*So, it’s him?* Dongbo Xueying inwardly sneered. *He does qualify as a formidable opponent.*
—
Moments later.
The twelve black-robed men and the red-robed elder lay immobilized on the ground, their possessions forcibly stripped away—storage treasures and all. The red-robed elder seethed in silent fury, thinking, *Once the Palace Master arrives, he’ll vomit up everything he took—and pay with his life!*
Dongbo Xueying waved a hand, swiftly refining the storage artifacts. From them, twelve black tokens flew out.
“Twelve tokens.” He nodded. The entire tribe, hundreds of thousands of souls, had been ensnared—each infected with a wisp of black mist in their souls. Normally, he’d have to painstakingly purge each one, a tedious and time-consuming task.
But now, he knew these black-robed men held the means to control the mist.
*These sorcerers and their tricks…*
Splitting his focus twelvefold, Dongbo Xueying manipulated the tokens.
**Boom—**
The twelve hovering tokens activated an array, resonating with the black mist within the paralyzed tribe.
*Come out.*
At his command, tendrils of black mist seeped from every tribesman, coalescing into a vast, roiling cloud before dissipating into nothingness.
“I can move!”
“I’m free!”
One by one, the tribesmen stirred, children scrambling to their feet. Though relieved, they still watched Dongbo Xueying warily from afar. They had witnessed everything—this white-robed youth had saved them. But the red-robed elder’s frenzied threats lingered in their minds. There was a far more terrifying master behind him.
**Whoosh—**
A dozen figures swiftly approached, bowing deeply before Dongbo Xueying.
“Senior, you’ve saved our entire clan. Such kindness is beyond repayment,” the clan leader said, tears brimming in his eyes. The horror of their fate—being turned into test subjects for those vile sorcerers—was unthinkable.
Dongbo Xueying smiled faintly. “A trivial effort.”
With great power came great responsibility. What was a mere gesture to him had spared this tribe from calamity.
The more lives he saved, the more he understood this truth.
“Did that senior really save us?”
“Yes. Without him, our tribe would be doomed.”
In the distance, a boy whispered to his mother, gazing at Dongbo Xueying with awe. Similar scenes played out across the tribe. Countless children and youths stared at the white-robed figure with reverence, imprinting this moment in their hearts. One day, they too would strive to stand before their savior as warriors—their greatest honor.
*These little ones…* Dongbo Xueying chuckled. The adults dared not meet his eyes, fearing offense, but the children knew no such restraint.
“Senior,” the clan leader hesitated, glancing at the immobilized red-robed elder and his twelve followers. “These sorcerers serve someone far more powerful. Please be cautious.”
“Worry not,” Dongbo Xueying replied. “I have my plans. But you should evacuate your clan. If their master dares not show himself, he may take his anger out on you after I leave.”
The clan leader paled. This place would soon become a battlefield. “We’ll leave at once. Senior, beware—sorcerers are cunning and unpredictable. Forgive our haste.”
“Go.”
The tribe’s evacuation was swift. The clan leader stored his people in a pocket realm and vanished with a teleportation.
Pocket realms were safe, but they were mere fragments of reality—nowhere near as stable as a universe, let alone the Sacred Realm. At best, they might birth a World God; a True God was nearly impossible. Yet in the Sacred Realm, True Gods were as common as dirt. Only Void Gods could barely be called experts.
—
The desert oasis stood empty, its people long gone.
Dongbo Xueying sat cross-legged, the twelve black-robed men and the red-robed elder still immobilized beside him.
*He’s here.*
His eyes snapped open, locking onto the distance.
**Rumble—**
A Chaos airship tore through a spatial rift, its sleek hull parting to reveal two figures.
One was a gray-robed man, his aura dripping with malevolence, his gaze like a monstrous beast sizing up Dongbo Xueying.
*An evil sorcerer who’s reforged his very soul and body. Not weak.*
This was the “Palace Master of the Evil Eye,” a top-tier expert at the fifth level of the Star Tower. His twisted experiments made him far more troublesome than even the twin leaders of Kuimo Cliff.
But Dongbo Xueying wasn’t concerned. Even Qi Hujun, the most resilient of Kuimo Cliff’s leaders, had been powerless before him.
His attention shifted to the gray-robed man’s companion—a white-haired elder in plain robes, his aura perfectly contained.
As Dongbo Xueying studied them, they did the same. Their intelligence network was far superior to their underlings’, and they recognized him instantly.
“Dongbo Xueying of the Void Palace,” the elder said calmly. “Rumored to be at the sixth level of the Star Tower, excelling in the Dark World Sovereign’s ‘Blade of Heaven’s Wrath.'”
“Brother Lei,” the Evil Eye Palace Master replied deferentially. “Battle isn’t just about strengths—it’s about weaknesses. This Dongbo Xueying merely inherited the Dark World Sovereign’s legacy. Against fools like Hei Kuimo, he might prevail. But before me? Hmph. Just wait, Senior Brother. Since he’s meddled in my affairs, I’ll teach him a lesson.”
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