Chapter 837: The Scented Heartwood Chamber of Qiyang

Dongbo Xueying held the black tome in his hand, completely immersed in the Dark Realm Sovereign’s unfathomable illusionary world technique—a colossal world constructed solely for a single lethal strike. The very idea was unique, and to create a supreme technique based on it proved that the ‘Dark Realm Sovereign’ was truly a prodigious genius.

Across the Five Sacred Worlds and the Chaos Void, there existed countless extraordinary talents. Some had even cleared the seventh level of the Star Tower while still at the Unity Realm, and there were legends like the Swordmaster, who, after a single retreat at the Grand Void Heavenly Palace, ascended directly to the Ultimate Existence!

Dongbo Xueying deeply admired such geniuses.

“The Dark Realm…” As the detailed knowledge of this supreme technique flooded his mind, Dongbo Xueying found himself irresistibly drawn in.

When it came to creating or freely altering worlds, illusions were undoubtedly the easiest.

Because illusions were inherently mutable, they could be reshaped with minimal effort. Dongbo Xueying’s ‘Illusory Path’ operated on the same principle. While altering the real world was immensely difficult, his illusory domain could be molded at will. First, he would construct an illusory world, then ‘materialize the illusion.’ Since illusions inherently encompassed and could evolve into reality, this process was effortless for someone of his level. Even during his World Creation stage, he could partially materialize illusions—let alone now!

First, he would craft a flawless killing world within the illusion, then materialize it—unleashing the lethal strike!

“Dark Bubble…” Countless flashes of insight surged through Dongbo Xueying’s mind.

Among his three paths, his talent for the Illusory Path was the greatest. Now, as he studied this Dark Realm technique, inspiration struck him in waves.

“Pavilion Master Yuqi.” Dongbo Xueying suddenly opened his eyes and turned to the man beside him.

“Elder Dongbo.” Pavilion Master Yuqi responded promptly. He had been puzzled watching the elder lose himself in the technique’s inheritance. After all, this was merely a supreme technique penned by a Unity Realm genius—its information load couldn’t be that vast. The inheritance should have been instantaneous. Why had Elder Dongbo lingered so long? Yet, he dared not interrupt.

“Take me to the finest cultivation chamber in your Sevenstar Sea Pavilion,” Dongbo Xueying commanded. “And I mean the very best.”

“Understood.” Pavilion Master Yuqi’s eyes gleamed. “Follow me.”

*Whoosh!*

Though the meditation chamber in his own residence was decent, it paled in comparison to the Sevenstar Sea Pavilion’s premium chamber, reserved for high-profile transactions.

“The Origin-Grade Chamber,” Pavilion Master Yuqi explained as they walked, “is our finest cultivation chamber. It’s constructed from ‘Seven Jade Fragrance Wood,’ which continuously emits a natural aroma that greatly aids cultivation. A fully intact piece of Seven Jade Fragrance Wood releases its fragrance for over three hundred million years before depleting, after which it must be replaced.”

“Thus, the Origin-Grade Chamber is usually kept in temporal stasis,” Pavilion Master Yuqi continued. “Only when a cultivator enters does time resume its normal flow. The cost of cultivation inside is… one thousand Source World Stones per hundred million years, or one Source World Stone per ten thousand years.”

“I know.” Dongbo Xueying nodded.

He had no intention of cultivating here long-term. For extended periods, he would return to the ‘Time Palace.’ He couldn’t afford to squander his time recklessly.

What he needed now was short-term cultivation.

Having just glimpsed the ‘Dark Realm,’ his mind brimmed with inspiration. This was the perfect moment to enter seclusion—and in the finest chamber available, to transform these sparks of insight into true comprehension and power.

A chamber costing one Source World Stone per ten thousand years was extravagant, but Dongbo Xueying was willing to pay the price.

“Can I practice techniques inside the chamber?” he asked.

“As long as the attacks on the wooden walls don’t exceed the Chaos Realm’s power,” Pavilion Master Yuqi assured him. “The chamber’s formations were personally arranged by experts at least at the Palace Master’s level.”

“Good.”

By a tranquil lake within the Sevenstar Sea Pavilion stood a wooden chamber, its time flow frozen in stasis.

“After you.” Pavilion Master Yuqi gestured.

Dongbo Xueying stepped forward and pushed open the wooden door. Instantly, time within the chamber resumed its normal flow. As he entered, the door closed silently behind him.

A faint, soothing fragrance permeated the chamber, invigorating Dongbo Xueying’s spirit. Without wasting a moment, he sat cross-legged and began cultivating the ‘Dark Realm.’ Above him, a translucent dark world materialized in midair, its shadowy expanse swirling with countless arcane patterns as it continuously morphed.

Days passed.

In a tavern not far from the Sevenstar Sea Pavilion, the stout, dark-robed ‘Black Annihilation Ancestor’ grew impatient.

“Why hasn’t he come out yet?”

“From what I know, the treasure auction ended half a month ago!” The Black Annihilation Ancestor was growing anxious. Dongbo Xueying’s spatial traversals were lightning-fast—the journey from the Sevenstar Sea Pavilion to his residence took mere moments. Thus, the Ancestor had to maintain peak vigilance to intercept him the instant he teleported.

But maintaining such alertness for days—now stretching into half a month—was exhausting.

As an ancient Chaos Realm powerhouse who had existed since the earliest days of the Sacred World, the Black Annihilation Ancestor was unused to such prolonged vigilance. His patience was wearing thin.

“Enough.”

He abandoned his post at the tavern and retreated to a small courtyard he had purchased.

No longer willing to strain his focus, he delegated only a sliver of his consciousness to monitor the Sevenstar Sea Pavilion and Dongbo Xueying’s residence.

“I refuse to believe he’ll never step out for leisure,” the Ancestor grumbled. He resolved to bide his time, waiting for Dongbo Xueying to appear in public before striking. Time? He had plenty to spare.

—

Dongbo Xueying was indeed invigorated by the *Dark Realm*. While his progress in the Slaughter Path and Wave Path had been laborious, the Illusory Path flowed through him with exhilarating ease.

Inside the Seven Jade Fragrance Wood chamber, the translucent dark world surrounding him exuded a terrifying aura, its countless arcane patterns swirling ominously.

“Almost there…”

Dongbo Xueying opened his eyes, frowning.

Seventy thousand years had passed in the chamber. He had even deciphered parts of the Dark Realm’s first technique, ‘Dark Bubble.’ Yet, the deeper his comprehension, the clearer the obstacle became: to manifest ‘Dark Bubble,’ the dark world had to be flawlessly unified.

To achieve absolute perfection, his current ‘Illusory Law System’—where the Illusory Path governed other laws—was insufficient.

He needed to advance further—to evolve the Illusory Law System into the ‘Source of Illusion.’ Only by reaching the ‘Source of Illusion’ stage, where his mastery over the illusory domain achieved perfect unity, could he hope to successfully execute ‘Dark Bubble.’

Thus, attaining the Unity Realm in the Illusory Path was a prerequisite for unleashing the Dark Realm’s first technique.

These seventy thousand years of cultivation had brought him tantalizingly close to the ‘Source of Illusion.’ He could feel the final integration of his system looming—yet that last step remained frustratingly elusive.

“The final bottleneck…” Dongbo Xueying gritted his teeth.

“Time to go all out.”

With a flip of his hand, he produced a crystalline box. Through its semi-transparent surface gleamed a deep purple fruit—the ‘Spirit-Cleansing Heartfruit,’ his most precious cultivation aid.

Originally, he had assumed his Voidwalker System would be the first to reach the Unity Realm. But serendipity had led him to the *Dark Realm* technique, whose first move demanded perfect unity in the illusory domain. As he trained, he had naturally inched closer to the Unity Realm, now standing at the precipice of breakthrough.

The *Dark Realm* had played a role—cultivating supreme techniques undeniably accelerated progress.

So too had his innate talent for the Illusory Path, amplified by the Seven Jade Fragrance Wood chamber—the finest cultivation environment he had ever experienced.

Now, faced with this bottleneck, he knew he might be stuck for ages.

“If the Spirit-Cleansing Heartfruit is to be used, now is the time.” Dongbo Xueying gazed at the fruit within the box.

The Spirit-Cleansing Heartfruit was exceedingly rare, typically reserved for newly promoted Golden Robe disciples and virtually unobtainable otherwise.

However, high-ranking members of the Grand Void Heavenly Palace—such as the two Palace Masters, Hall Masters, and Inner Hall Elders—could acquire it if they wished. Upon becoming an Inner Hall Elder, Dongbo Xueying had gained access to cosmic-grade techniques and rare treasures exchangeable for merit points. Golden Robe disciples had limited options, but Inner Hall Elders could exchange for up to three Spirit-Cleansing Heartfruits in their lifetime, each costing 600,000 merit points.

There were even superior cultivation aids available—albeit at steeper prices.

Thus, Dongbo Xueying resolved to use the fruit now. The stronger he grew, the easier it would be to obtain better treasures in the future.

“Let’s see how it tastes—and how effective it is. This single fruit is worth roughly fifty Source World Stones.” He opened the box, retrieved the deep purple fruit, and took a bite. His eyes brightened. *Crunch, crunch*—within moments, he had devoured it whole.