The city of Tianshui spans a mere hundred million miles in area. As one of the twelve Chaos Cities guarded by the Tai Xu Heavenly Palace, it is an extremely safe haven, housing countless cultivators within its bounds. Even in the wilderness beyond the city, numerous settlements thrive, teeming with life, as proximity to Tianshui City signifies relative safety.
The reason Tianshui City is limited to such a modest expanse is due to the finite range a Chaos Realm avatar can protect. Under the suppression of the Sacred Realm’s laws, any distance too great would render even a Chaos Realm avatar incapable of timely rescue.
Dongbo Xueying’s estate sprawls across a thousand miles—a truly extravagant expanse by Tianshui’s standards.
…
Time flowed on.
Dongbo Xueying often wandered alone through Tianshui City, visiting taverns and eateries to sample exotic delicacies while eavesdropping on the chatter of fellow cultivators.
“The flavors here are truly exceptional,” Dongbo Xueying mused, sipping wine and savoring an array of pastries with evident delight. Though a hundred million miles might seem trivial to powerful cultivators, Tianshui City still boasted countless inns and restaurants, each with its own unique flair—enough to keep even the most discerning patrons returning.
After three months of indulgence, Dongbo Xueying had barely scratched the surface of the city’s culinary offerings.
*Clang!*
A chime echoed from his communication token.
Dongbo Xueying immediately checked the message:
“City West of Fortress Yi-29. The ruler of the Golden Wing Kingdom calls for aid—under siege by at least ten ordinary Void Gods engaged in mass devouring.”
A distress signal.
Without hesitation, Dongbo Xueying rose, leaving a purple metal ingot on the table before swiftly departing. Establishments in Tianshui City typically accepted rare materials as payment, with divine crystals being the bare minimum—and even then, only in vast quantities, starting at a million per transaction. A waiter spotted the ingot and hurried over, eyes gleaming with delight. “Purple Snowstone? As expected of a Void God—such generosity!”
Dongbo Xueying had once claimed an entire vein of Purple Snowstone while slaying Void creatures across over two hundred Chaos Lands.
*Whoosh!*
In an instant, Dongbo Xueying vanished from Tianshui City, traversing the void with the speed afforded by the 28th layer of the Traveler’s Secret Canon. Within mere breaths, he arrived at the city’s spatial teleportation array.
After a brief wait, a squad appeared—two Outer Hall Elders and thirty Outer Hall Attendants, one of the rotating task forces assigned to respond to the Golden Wing Kingdom’s plea.
“Elder Dongbo!” The group stiffened in surprise before offering respectful bows.
Dongbo Xueying nodded. “Bound for the Golden Wing Kingdom?”
“Indeed, Elder Dongbo,” replied a green-horned youth with deference.
“I’ll accompany you. Let’s move,” Dongbo Xueying commanded. “Rest assured, I’ve no interest in your merit points.”
*An Inner Hall Elder, joining such a trivial mission?*
*As long as he doesn’t take our shares…*
The two Outer Hall Elders and their attendants exchanged silent thoughts. This was a routine assignment, offering a paltry single merit point—split as 0.3 points per elder, with the remainder divided among the attendants. Though meager, such tasks accumulated over time, allowing even an Outer Hall Elder to amass ten thousand points without undue difficulty.
*Boom!*
Dongbo Xueying and the squad stepped into the teleportation array.
Normally, the array activated only once per year unless someone paid a steep price for a private transfer. But for urgent missions like this, immediate—and free—passage was granted.
…
Under the Sacred Realm’s oppressive laws, even teleportation arrays crafted jointly by Palace Masters and Hall Lords could only cover limited distances per jump.
“Elder Dongbo, this is Fortress Yi-26,” the group announced upon arriving at a modest, hundred-thousand-mile city. Layers of glowing formations enveloped the settlement, humming with power under the watchful eyes of another Outer Hall Elder and his subordinates.
“Mm.” Dongbo Xueying acknowledged.
The Sacred Realm was vast.
Tianshui City’s sphere of influence extended only as far as its network of relay fortresses could reach. Despite boasting a hundred such outposts (split into Yi and Jia categories), they barely scratched the surface of the realm’s expanse. Beyond lay untamed wilderness—too vast even for the Tai Xu Heavenly Palace’s wealth to fully tame.
Some distant regions had fallen under the dominion of Chaos Realm overlords, ruling as sovereigns.
Travel…
In the Sacred Realm, it was a monumental challenge. Weaker cultivators had no choice but to seek refuge in the nearest major power.
Fortress Yi-26, Yi-27, Yi-28… at last, Yi-29.
*Whoosh.*
The group emerged from Yi-29 into a desolate expanse.
Though the Sacred Realm teemed with life, its sheer scale rendered it sparsely populated. Most beings clustered under the protection of the strong—survival demanded it.
“Elder Dongbo, though the Golden Wing Kingdom lies within Yi-29’s jurisdiction, it will still take over a year of void traversal to reach,” an Outer Hall Elder explained. “Attendant Jiu Qi, a Unity Realm expert, is our fastest void traveler. He’ll ferry us there.”
Attendant Jiu Qi—a shapeshifted beast with nine heads—bowed respectfully.
Dongbo Xueying glanced at him and nodded. “Proceed swiftly.”
A year’s travel was considered *close* by Sacred Realm standards.
*Boom!*
Jiu Qi enveloped the group in void energy and launched into the rift.
*Whoosh… whoosh…*
They surged forward through the void.
“Halt.” Dongbo Xueying’s voice cut through.
The group jerked to a stop, materializing as the two elders and Jiu Qi blinked in confusion.
“I’ll take over.” Without waiting, Dongbo Xueying seized control of the void, propelling them onward.
*Whoosh—*
The attendants gaped at their speed. Though merely a Nascent Soul cultivator, this Inner Hall Elder’s void traversal outpaced Jiu Qi’s by over tenfold.
*No wonder he’s an Inner Hall Elder.*
*To think a Nascent Soul could move like this…*
Awed murmurs rippled through the group.
Meanwhile, Dongbo Xueying consulted his token for updates on the Golden Wing Kingdom’s location. While he possessed rough maps of the Five Sacred Realms, minor nations like this often rose and fell unrecorded. Only real-time token queries could provide accurate intel—subject to change if the kingdom collapsed.
*I expected more from a Unity Realm attendant. His speed is average at best.*
As a Void Traveler, Dongbo Xueying’s 21st-layer mastery had already rivaled Unity Realm teleportation. Now at the 28th layer, he ranked among the elite. Yet he knew some monstrous Unity Realm experts—even among Inner Hall Elders—could tear through spacetime itself, leaving his speed in the dust.
*We’ll reach the Golden Wing Kingdom in a month.*
…
The Golden Wing Kingdom.
A nation spanning ten million miles, its entire territory a single sprawling city-state. Though ruled by a Unity Realm monarch, the coordinated assaults of Void Gods had pushed even him to the brink, forcing him to seek aid.
Panic gripped the kingdom. With cultivators vanishing into the maws of unseen predators daily, fear festered.
In a secluded manor within the kingdom, a violet-haired man in black robes lounged, stroking a strange beast in his lap. “The Tai Xu Heavenly Palace’s forces will take about a year to arrive,” he mused calmly. “Continue stoking fear—and seize every chance to spread our teachings. Those who embrace the Ancient Sacred Creed shall be spared. You have six months.”
“After that, go to ground. Wait for the Tai Xu enforcers to leave before resuming operations.”
“As you command.”
Three Void Gods bowed in unison.
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