Chapter 801: Arrival

Dongbo Xueying followed the Demon Ancestor in flight, observing the distant cultivators. At a glance, almost all of them were True Gods.

“From what I know, the number of Void Gods within the Sky Void Palace is extremely small—far fewer than the combined number of Void Gods from those two hundred-plus Chaos Continents,” Dongbo Xueying mused to himself. The vast Chaos Void contained countless universes and innumerable Chaos Continents, so the number of Void Gods was immense.

Even within the Sacred Realm, the number of Void Gods was staggering.

Yet, within the Sky Void Palace, Void Gods were exceedingly rare. Even if a True God disciple ascended to the Void God realm, if they failed to reach a sufficient level of strength, they would be dispatched to one of the Sky Void Palace’s ‘Chaos Cities’ scattered across the outside world. After all, the Sky Void Palace was one of the three great sacred lands of the Seven Star Sea Sacred Realm. Countless beings yearned to join, and to strengthen its influence, the palace had established twelve Chaos Cities throughout the realm.

Each Chaos City served as a bastion of authority, overseeing the Sacred Realm, recruiting disciples, facilitating travel, and more. The relatively weaker Void Gods were stationed in these cities.

Yet even these “weaker” Void Gods were masters of the profound laws of the universe, trained and guided by the Sky Void Palace. Their combat prowess far surpassed that of the countless ordinary Void Gods outside.

“Look.” The Demon Ancestor led Dongbo Xueying toward a floating island, upon which stood twelve cave mansions of varying sizes.

“This is the ‘Fool’s Island,’ where the Golden-Robed Disciples reside,” the Demon Ancestor said, gesturing to the mansions. “The highest mansion belongs to the current top-ranked Golden-Robed Disciple. The next belongs to the second-ranked, and so on. The tenth mansion, near the bottom, is for the tenth-ranked disciple. The two lowest mansions remain vacant—reserved for Golden-Robed Disciples who emerge from within a universe. The trials you faced in your home universe were far simpler than the challenges within the Sky Void Palace, so the rewards you received were relatively lesser.”

“Understood,” Dongbo Xueying nodded.

“Hall Master!”

A voice called from afar. On the island, a gray-robed middle-aged man bowed respectfully—though he was merely a puppet creature who had reached the Void God realm.

“This is the Golden-Robed Disciple Dongbo Xueying,” the Demon Ancestor declared, looking down. “From this day forth, he is your master!”

“This humble servant greets the master,” the gray-robed man immediately bowed to Dongbo Xueying.

“Xueying, he will inform you of all the rules within the Sky Void Palace,” the Demon Ancestor said. “The Sword Master would have met you—after all, you hail from our homeland—but he and the Ancestor are currently in seclusion. However, by the time of the Golden-Robed Disciple ranking battles, both the Ancestor and the Sword Master will emerge. It won’t be long—the next ranking battle is only about three million years away.”

“Three million years?” Dongbo Xueying tensed slightly.

“Even if you lose this time, you can always win next time,” the Demon Ancestor said indifferently. “There’s no shame in it. The most monstrous True God disciples of the Sky Void Palace are formidable. If you can break into the top twenty this time, it will already be a great success.”

The Demon Ancestor smiled faintly. “Train well. Among our homeland’s descendants, only the Sword Master and I surpass you in talent and comprehension. Our lineage is still too weak.”

“I will spare no effort,” Dongbo Xueying vowed.

The Demon Ancestor nodded, then stepped forward, transforming into a streak of light that vanished into the distance.

Dongbo Xueying muttered to himself, “Top twenty counts as success?”

“Master,” the attendant beside him spoke up. “I will transmit all the relevant information about the Sky Void Palace to you.”

Soon, Dongbo Xueying’s communication token received a flood of data. Though he had gathered some knowledge in his home universe, it had been incomplete and outdated—especially regarding the current generation of True God disciples.

“Hmm?” Dongbo Xueying first checked the information on the True God disciples and was immediately astonished.

Across the Five Great Sacred Realms and the vast Chaos Void, the Sky Void Palace stood at the pinnacle in terms of combat techniques and the profundity of their methods. Thus, not only did countless True Gods aspire to join, but even the closely allied ‘Ancestral Island’ and ‘Radiant Holy Land’ sent their own disciples. Even some Chaos Realm powerhouses of the Seven Star Sea Sacred Realm dispatched their favored descendants to the Sky Void Palace.

The palace, in turn, reserved a limited number of spots to absorb these prodigies.

The competition among True God disciples was fierce.

“Ten Golden-Robed Disciples—but if we count those who were once Golden-Robed but later demoted to Purple-Robed, the number swells to nineteen,” Dongbo Xueying mused. “And there are others who, though never Golden-Robed, are nearly as strong, with about ten more who could potentially break into the top ten.”

Those who had once been Golden-Robed had entered the top ten before even obtaining a Cosmic-level secret art. Afterward, with the aid of such arts and resources, they became even more monstrous.

Yet, as newer prodigies rose, they would inevitably topple the previous Golden-Robed Disciples.

These nineteen, plus the ten or so close contenders, could all effortlessly slay ordinary Void Gods.

Dongbo Xueying, however, had only passed the simpler trials of his home universe. By the Sky Void Palace’s standards, likely over a hundred True God disciples could have cleared such a test. Thus, even the demanding Demon Ancestor considered it a great success if Dongbo Xueying could break into the top twenty.

After all, those nineteen had all been Golden-Robed Disciples at some point. The top twenty was a terrifyingly high bar.

“Though I’ve mastered the First Sword of Annihilation, those who were once Golden-Robed also possess their own Cosmic-level secret arts and have likely grasped them to some degree. I don’t have full confidence in breaking into the top ten yet,” Dongbo Xueying thought, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. “But I must.”

Only those who entered the top ten for the first time in an internal challenge would be granted the ‘Spirit-Calming Fruit’—a rare treasure worth fifty Source World Stones, used to aid cultivation.

Though he had slain many Void creatures, even some Void Gods, the total value of his spoils barely amounted to a single Source World Stone.

As a Golden-Robed Disciple, his life-preservation talismans, Void God weapons, and the Black Gourd were all invaluable—but he couldn’t sell them.

Most importantly, the Spirit-Calming Fruit was unique to the Sky Void Palace, typically awarded only to newly ascended Golden-Robed Disciples. Though it had a price, it was effectively unpurchasable.

“I must obtain it—even if I don’t use it myself, Jingqiu and Yuer could benefit,” Dongbo Xueying resolved.

—

**Boom—**

The cave mansion’s doors swung open.

This mansion was modest—a small courtyard with three simple chambers. Though the smallest among the Golden-Robed Disciples’ residences, it was still the envy of countless True God disciples.

Dongbo Xueying stepped inside, surveying his new dwelling.

—

As he entered, distant True God disciples took notice.

“Golden-Robed Island?”

“Another Golden-Robed Disciple?”

Though officially named ‘Fool’s Island,’ many ordinary disciples colloquially called it ‘Golden-Robed Island’—the object of their aspirations.

“Wait, wasn’t there talk of a Dongbo Xueying from an initial universe?”

“That’s him?”

Whispers spread. Some disciples, particularly those with connections, quickly gathered information. The Sky Void Palace had already recorded Dongbo Xueying’s soul aura, Golden-Robed status, and privileges.

“Dongbo Xueying—brought back personally by the Demon Ancestor.”

“A kid from some backwater universe, lucky enough to become a Golden-Robed Disciple,” some muttered, their voices laced with envy. Many had grown up in the Sacred Realm and looked down upon the countless lesser universes.

“No matter. The next challenge isn’t far off. I’ll test him then,” one disciple declared.

—

After familiarizing himself with his mansion, Dongbo Xueying wasted no time. Transforming into a streak of light, he soared toward the central floating continent—heading straight for the ‘Myriad Phenomena Hall.’

The Sword Master, upon arriving from their homeland, had immersed himself in the hall’s countless texts before secluding himself and emerging as a Cosmic God. The Demon Ancestor had done the same.

For those from the universes, the Myriad Phenomena Hall was paramount—housing the Sky Void Palace’s accumulated wisdom across eons.

“Senior Brother Dongbo Xueying?”

A voice halted him. A handsome Purple-Robed man stood nearby.