Dongbo Xueying wasted no time in hesitation. He immediately soared into the sky, where the void above distorted, and he vanished into it.
In the blink of an eye.
Above a desolate wilderness in the distant Five Great Sacred Realms—specifically, the Donglin Sacred Realm—space suddenly twisted, and Dongbo Xueying stepped out. He glanced up at the sun to determine his location. “Quite a deviation,” he mused. Over such vast distances, ultra-long-range teleportation often resulted in slight deviations unless one had left behind precise spatial markers.
But for Dongbo Xueying, personally traveling wasn’t a hardship worth fussing over.
No matter how far, two ultra-long-range teleportations would suffice. The first would bring him close, and the second, given the reduced distance, would land him precisely at his destination.
*Whoosh.*
In another instant, Dongbo Xueying appeared at the gates of Qumu City. Passing through the entrance, he took a single step and arrived at the Donglin Pavilion.
—
The Donglin Pavilion, much like the Sevenstar Sea Pavilion, was a place that welcomed countless cultivators with open doors, facilitating trade and transactions.
At this moment, in a side hall of the Donglin Pavilion in Qumu City…
A disheveled middle-aged man with a crimson horn sat cross-legged, slowly sipping wine alone. His furrowed brow betrayed his troubled thoughts.
*”If the experts of the Taixu Temple are seeking the Scarlet Cloud Pomegranate Heart, they must be desperate for it. And treasures like this are usually sought after by Chaos Realm overlords,”* the crimson-horned man mused inwardly. *”Given his strength, he should be able to fulfill my request.”*
*”If he refuses…”*
*”Then I’ll have to spend Meta Realm Stones to hire another expert.”*
Just then, a servant entered the hall.
The horned man immediately asked, “Has the guest arrived?”
“The guest from the Taixu Temple is here,” the servant replied respectfully.
“So soon?” The horned man’s eyes gleamed. “He must have enlisted the help of an expert for ultra-long-range teleportation.”
For his own safety, he had paid 10 Meta Realm Stones to a Chaos Realm overlord skilled in ultra-long-range teleportation to bring him from the Ancient Sacred Realm to the Donglin Sacred Realm.
The horned man stood up and commanded, “Lead the way.”
“Yes.” The servant obediently guided him forward.
Soon.
In a grand hall, the branch master of the Donglin Pavilion personally attended as host. The horned man’s gaze immediately fell upon a white-robed youth seated cross-legged by a low table in the distance. Currently, Dongbo Xueying had suppressed his aura and slightly altered his appearance, making his identity unrecognizable. After all, the treasure in question was far too valuable—enough to incite greed even among Chaos Realm overlords.
*”Him? He doesn’t seem like a Chaos Realm expert,”* the horned man thought, his heart sinking slightly.
“Please, have a seat,” Dongbo Xueying called from afar.
The horned man sat down regardless. Anyone capable of affording the Scarlet Cloud Pomegranate Heart was no ordinary figure.
“I heard you possess a Scarlet Cloud Pomegranate Heart. I’ve been searching for one—name your price,” Dongbo Xueying said directly. His urgent need for the treasure was no secret.
“The price isn’t high—5,000 Meta Realm Stones,” the horned man stated.
Dongbo Xueying was taken aback.
The standard price for a Scarlet Cloud Pomegranate Heart was 6,000 Meta Realm Stones. Given that he was the one actively seeking it, most sellers would hike the price. Yet this man was offering a discount?
“However, I have conditions,” the horned man added, eyeing Dongbo Xueying.
“Go on,” Dongbo Xueying replied calmly. This was within his expectations.
“Aside from the 5,000 Meta Realm Stones, I need you to fulfill three tasks for me,” the horned man said.
“First, you must travel to the Ancient Sacred Realm and retrieve a young disciple of mine—he’s just become a True God. I need you to take him as your disciple, ensure his safety for a trillion years, and provide him with the necessary cultivation resources—up to the Unity Realm at most. If he fails to reach the Void God level within that time, your resource obligations will be lighter. After a trillion years, I’ll take him back.”
“But you must guarantee his safety during that period.”
“Second, you must go to the Ancient Sacred Realm and annihilate a faction called the ‘Demon Cliff.’ Its two leaders must die. They may be skilled in survival, so I’ll give you a hundred billion years to eliminate them—plenty of time.”
“Third, in the Ancient Sacred Realm, there’s a sect called the ‘Azure Peng Sect.’ The young disciple you’ll be rescuing is also a member of this sect. I need you to protect the Azure Peng Sect for a trillion years. During that time, their headquarters must remain unbreached, and the sect must not fall.”
Dongbo Xueying immediately began gathering intelligence through his communication token.
The Ancient Sacred Realm was ruled jointly by the Witch Ancestor and the Realm Ancestor, who had divided the realm roughly in half.
The region under the Realm Ancestor’s rule was infamous for its chaos. Here, cultivation through devouring was openly practiced, and countless experts battled and consumed one another—making it even more lawless than the Dark Abyss of his home universe.
Among these factions, the Demon Cliff was one of the most ruthless, while the Azure Peng Sect was slightly weaker. Both operated within the Realm Ancestor’s territory.
The two leaders of the Demon Cliff were both at the fifth level of the Star Tower, notorious for their countless acts of devouring and slaughter.
The Azure Peng Sect, on the other hand, was a school of the Ancient Cultivation system, possessing an extraordinary legacy known as the ‘Azure Peng Inheritance.’ Many Ancient Cultivators joined this sect.
In the Ancient Cultivation system, heritage was paramount—as were resources. Without proper guidance, one could still advance through sheer effort, but their potential would remain untapped.
Two cultivators with the same starting point could end up worlds apart, depending on their heritage. Dongbo Xueying had acquired numerous Ancient Cultivation legacies from the Ninecloud Emperor’s treasury, but though he had memorized many, their complexity meant he couldn’t teach them without true comprehension.
“Those are my terms,” the horned man said, watching Dongbo Xueying. “If you agree, the deal is done. Of course, if you fail to complete any one of these tasks, you’ll owe me 1,000 Meta Realm Stones in compensation. Fail all three, and it’s 3,000. The Donglin Pavilion will bear witness.”
Dongbo Xueying asked, “Who is this young disciple I’m to retrieve?”
“Agree to the terms, and I’ll tell you,” the horned man replied.
“Traveling to the Ancient Sacred Realm and reaching the Azure Peng Sect will take time. What if the disciple dies or the sect falls before I arrive? Would that still be my fault?” Dongbo Xueying pressed.
“From the moment the deal is struck, you have a thousand years to reach the Azure Peng Sect. If the disciple dies or the sect falls within that time, it’s not on you,” the horned man said coldly. “But don’t even think of secretly sending someone to wipe them out within that window. If you do, I’ll hunt you down without mercy.”
Dongbo Xueying chuckled.
He didn’t consider the horned man a threat, but within the Donglin Pavilion, he wouldn’t act recklessly. Though he had the power to destroy everything, killing a guest here would earn him the enmity of the Donglin Sacred Realm’s many sacred grounds—a consequence even a Chaos Realm overlord couldn’t bear.
“Rest assured, I wouldn’t stoop so low,” Dongbo Xueying said.
“I’ll reach the Azure Peng Sect within a year,” he declared. “I’ll do everything in my power to fulfill your requests. As for the sect, unless a Chaos Realm overlord personally attacks, I can guarantee its safety.”
“Good.” The horned man’s eyes lit up.
A year?
The distance between the two Sacred Realms was immense. Arriving at the Azure Peng Sect within a year would require no small cost.
“So you agree?” the horned man asked.
“I agree,” Dongbo Xueying nodded.
None of this was difficult for him.
Protecting a young disciple? A mere True God could simply be taken to his home universe.
Killing the Demon Cliff’s leaders? Their strength mattered little—their nature did. Since they were devouring fiends, slaying them was no moral burden.
Shielding a sect? He already had a plan.
“Hahaha! With the Donglin Pavilion as witness, I trust you’ll keep your word.” The horned man flipped his hand, producing a jade box. “Inside is the Scarlet Cloud Pomegranate Heart.”
Dongbo Xueying smiled. At last, it was his.
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