Suddenly, two phantom streams of light shot out from the eyes of the Blood Blade Divine Emperor, entering Dongbo Xueying’s eyes.
A vast amount of information rapidly transmitted.
“The Heart of the Ultimate Point lies in the origin, the beginning, the end, the ‘One’…” This teaching primarily concerned the Heart of the Ultimate Point and the Heart of Time and Space, along with some guidance on becoming a mighty figure. Though the information was immense, compared to the last time, Dongbo Xueying was now a Second Heaven Realm God, his True Divine Heart far stronger. After only a brief pause of thought for a second or two, he regained full clarity.
“Thank you, Master.” Dongbo Xueying immediately knelt and bowed in gratitude. To impart supreme techniques and insights into the laws of heaven and earth—this was an immense kindness!
“Now that you have left my tutelage and established your own path, I will not guide you frequently. Everything will depend on yourself,” the Blood Blade Divine Emperor said indifferently. “The road of cultivation is ultimately yours to walk. For you, reaching the Fourth Heaven Realm God is no great challenge. The true difficulty lies in taking that final step—transcending the River of Time. Thus, you must never absorb faith.”
“This disciple understands,” Dongbo Xueying replied.
Faith, though a boon, is also a chain of karma.
Bound by karma… it becomes nearly impossible to break free and achieve true transcendence! Some Fourth Heaven Realm Gods possess strength rivaling mighty figures, but most are shackled by karma, unable to escape, and ultimately succumb to ruin.
“Your homeland, the Xia Clan World, should correspond to the Eastern Territory of Anhai Prefecture,” the Blood Blade Divine Emperor stated.
“Yes,” Dongbo Xueying answered respectfully.
Anhai Prefecture was one of the nineteen prefectures under the Blood Blade Divine Court, vast beyond measure.
Thus, Anhai Prefecture was further divided into five major regions: East, South, West, North, and Central. Whether in the Divine Realm, the Abyss, or the Material World… directions were determined by the Moon Star and the Sun Star. The Sun Star marked the far east, while the Moon Star marked the far west.
“Then I appoint you as the Inspector of the Eastern Territory of Anhai Prefecture, with an official rank of the Third Tier,” the Blood Blade Divine Emperor declared. “You are authorized to recruit a personal guard army, initially set at four thousand, classified as a Second-Class Legion. Warships, armor, and quartermasters will accompany you. The recruitment of your personal guards is entirely at your discretion!”
“Yes.” Dongbo Xueying marveled inwardly at his master’s generosity, seemingly unbothered by rumors and gossip.
What did the Third Tier rank signify?
In all of Anhai Prefecture, only the Prefect held a higher official rank! Normally, only Fourth Heaven Realm Gods could attain the Third Tier. Clearly, as a personal disciple of the Divine Emperor, his rank had been set exceptionally high by His Majesty.
“Go now. From this point onward, you must forge your own path. Whatever consequences or costs arise, you alone must bear them. Remember this—do not destroy yourself,” the Blood Blade Divine Emperor cautioned.
“Yes, this disciple takes his leave.” Dongbo Xueying knelt and kowtowed before rising and departing.
The Blood Blade Divine Emperor watched silently.
Though he was one of the supreme powerhouses of the Divine Realm and the Abyss, there was little he could do in guiding disciples. He had imparted cultivation insights, taught supreme techniques, and bestowed ample treasures. Beyond that? There was truly nothing more. He cared not what troubles Dongbo Xueying might stir—there was little in the cosmos that the Blood Blade Divine Emperor feared. But he worried that Dongbo Xueying might stagnate at the Fourth Heaven.
After all, across the vast epochs, among all the disciples he had taught, only two had ascended to become mighty figures.
“Blood Blade, this young Dongbo has his own path. Even without a powerful master before, he achieved so much. With your guidance, his future is boundless,” the black bird perched on the Divine Emperor’s shoulder cawed.
The Blood Blade Divine Emperor quickly suppressed his emotions.
He was accustomed to detachment. Over the eons, countless figures had risen and drawn attention, yet few survived the erosion of time. He merely hoped that this talented disciple, Dongbo, could transcend.
—
That very day, the quartermaster arrived to pay his respects.
The quartermaster was a Second Heaven Realm God named ‘Realm God Qu Cheng,’ a rather amiable figure who bowed respectfully. “Your Highness, I have brought the warships, armor, and other military supplies—five warships and five thousand sets of armor.”
“Five thousand?” Dongbo Xueying asked, puzzled. “Wasn’t the quota four thousand?”
“Four thousand are for the personal guard army, but there are also dozens of officers within the guard,” the quartermaster explained. “There may be losses in the future, so we prepare in advance.”
Dongbo Xueying nodded before raising his most pressing concern. “The personal guard is a Second-Class Legion. Soldiers of such legions undergo secret body modifications, correct? I will personally recruit soldiers from the Eastern Territory of Anhai Prefecture. How will their divine bodies be modified?”
“Your Highness need not worry,” Realm God Qu Cheng said with a smile. “As the appointed quartermaster, I can arrange everything. I am fully versed in the modification techniques and have brought all necessary materials—enough for five thousand soldiers. Moreover, His Majesty holds Your Highness in high regard. Your guard will undergo the ‘Azure Dragon Legion’ modifications. After the transformation, each soldier’s body alone will reach the divine-level limit. When clad in specialized armor, they can unleash power at the threshold of a Realm God! And that is merely the strength of a single soldier. When the legion acts in unison, their combined might is even greater.”
Dongbo Xueying’s eyes gleamed.
To his knowledge, soldiers of Second-Class Legions, even after modifications and armor, typically only reached divine-level limits in individual strength. Back when he cultivated the third layer of the ‘Myriad Tribulations Indestructible Body,’ his power had been at the threshold of a Realm God—though that technique focused on survival rather than combat.
But the ‘Azure Dragon Legion’ modifications were evidently among the more formidable variants.
“Excellent,” Dongbo Xueying acknowledged.
“However, there is one matter I must inform Your Highness,” Realm God Qu Cheng added. “If it were merely the body modifications, any deity could undergo them. But to activate the divine runes on the armor in battle, one must at least be a late-stage deity. Those of lower realms cannot comprehend the runes, rendering them unable to activate the armor, which would disrupt the battle formation.”
“I understand.” Dongbo Xueying sighed inwardly. Though the deities of the Xia Clan had received many treasures from him and grown stronger, only half had reached late-stage deityhood. But no matter—the quota was five thousand, and the Xia Clan’s deities were but a handful.
—
Only two days later.
Dongbo Xueying, accompanied by Jing Qiu, Quartermaster Realm God Qu Cheng, and the deities of the Xia Clan, boarded a luxurious deep-blue starfield vessel and departed the Divine Court.
Starfield vessels cost at least ten million divine crystals.
But this one had been personally bestowed upon Dongbo Xueying by the Divine Emperor when he became a personal disciple—a rare treasure indeed.
“Rumble—”
The starfield vessel traversed the spatial tunnel at tremendous speed.
Standing at the prow, Dongbo Xueying felt a surge of ambition. When he had first left the Xia Clan World, he had been a mere nobody. Now, he was the Inspector of the Eastern Territory of Anhai Prefecture, commander of four thousand personal guards, and wielder of supreme techniques.
Soon, light appeared ahead—the end of the spatial tunnel.
“Whoosh.”
As they emerged, the vast starry sky stretched before them.
Almost simultaneously, a figure appeared in the distance—a white-robed Dongbo Xueying, though this was merely a Realm God power incarnation. With a wave of his hand, several figures materialized beside him: the handsome Dongbo Yu, the domineering Dongbo Qingyao, the thick-robed senior brother Ge Bai, the crimson-cloaked youth He Feiyun, and the green-haired Xi Wei.
Now, it was time for them to enter the Divine Realm.
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