Senior Sister Gongfeng walked ahead. After all, she was a Three Heavens Realm God, and even without turning around, she could sense everything happening behind her. The sight of Dongbo Xueying shaking his head with a faint smile only fueled her irritation.
“You dare shake your head at my instructions?” Senior Sister Gongfeng suddenly turned to glare at Dongbo Xueying. “Junior Brother Dongbo, are you provoking me?”
Dongbo Xueying replied coldly, “The Master has summoned me. If Senior Sister has any grievances, we can settle them privately after I’ve met with him.”
“Fine, very well.” Gongfeng suppressed her anger, not daring to delay the Divine Emperor’s summons.
Yet, she was truly furious.
Within the Yin Stone Villa, she had always been obedient and diligent, managing all the trivial affairs. As a result, all the nominal and inner disciples had to show her respect. But this mere God-level Dongbo Xueying dared to slight her! She seethed inwardly, *”How dare he bare his fangs at me? Hmph!”*
Gongfeng led the way, with Dongbo Xueying following closely.
Soon, they arrived at a tranquil and beautiful garden where the Blood Blade Divine Emperor, clad in dark-red robes, stood with his hands behind his back, silently gazing at the nearby lake.
“Master,” Gongfeng said meekly, bowing respectfully. “Junior Brother Dongbo has been brought as requested.”
“Master,” Dongbo Xueying also bowed in reverence.
The Blood Blade Divine Emperor turned his head. Suddenly, a black bird materialized from the void and perched on his shoulder, chirping cheerfully, “Dongbo kid, not bad! You’ve hidden yourself quite well!”
Standing to the side, Gongfeng was bewildered.
*Hidden himself well?*
*What does that mean?*
“The Master’s insight is unparalleled,” Dongbo Xueying said humbly. “Given the threat of a great enemy, I had to remain cautious.”
The Divine Emperor nodded slightly and smiled. “Good.”
Just two words, yet they sent shockwaves through Gongfeng’s mind. *”What? The Master actually smiled? How… how is this possible?”* Having served the Divine Emperor for years, she knew his temperament—cold, aloof, and rarely showing emotion, let alone a smile.
Even during the Myriad Flowers Banquet, he only smiled occasionally in the presence of peers of similar strength. To ordinary mighty figures, he remained indifferent.
When Dongbo Xueying first became his disciple, though he was granted two tokens, the Divine Emperor had been distant, dismissing him after only a few words. Yet now, he smiled the moment he spoke?
*”What’s going on? What exactly happened? What has Dongbo Xueying been hiding?”* Gongfeng’s mind raced with vague speculations, but the mere thought that Dongbo Xueying had only cultivated for a little over five thousand years shattered all her conjectures.
“You mastered a First-Class Divine Heart in just nine hundred years,” the Blood Blade Divine Emperor remarked with a faint nod. “Your talent is extraordinary, yet you remained patient, only revealing yourself after breaking through to the Second Heaven Realm God. Though young, your patience is commendable. This is excellent. While your cultivation may soar now, the path ahead will grow treacherous. When faced with setbacks and obstacles, patience will be your greatest ally.”
“Yes,” Dongbo Xueying replied respectfully.
“You are also cautious—another virtue. On the path of cultivation, a master’s guidance is limited. Ultimately, you must rely on yourself.” The Divine Emperor was pleased with this disciple.
Patience and caution—these were the very traits that had made the Blood Blade Divine Emperor himself so formidable.
Perhaps it was his early years as an assassin that instilled in him such meticulousness and endurance, allowing him to ascend step by step with unwavering stability. Today, his influence spanned the Divine Realm, the Abyss, and even the Material World. His Blood Blade Tavern was omnipresent, a testament to his prowess.
Even the most ruthless Abyssal Lords of the Dark Abyss sought his friendship.
Thus, seeing Dongbo Xueying embody these traits naturally delighted him.
“Have you heard of the Annihilation Monarch?” the Divine Emperor asked.
“I have,” Dongbo Xueying answered promptly.
“He became a Second Heaven Realm God in just two thousand nine hundred years—far surpassing your speed. Yet his recklessness and lack of caution and patience led to his demise,” the Divine Emperor said. “You should take this as a warning.”
“I will,” Dongbo Xueying replied earnestly.
Meanwhile, Gongfeng stood dumbfounded.
*”The Annihilation Monarch? A warning? He’s comparing Dongbo Xueying to the Annihilation Monarch?”*
*”Nine hundred years to become a First Heaven Realm God?”*
*”Only revealing himself after breaking through to the Second Heaven?”*
*”Caution? Patience?”*
*”This… this…”* Gongfeng had never witnessed the Divine Emperor offering such earnest guidance. Normally, he would simply tap a disciple’s forehead with a finger and dismiss them.
*”Dongbo… a Second Heaven Realm God?”* Though reluctant to believe it, the conversation made it undeniable. The Divine Emperor would never lie. *”How long has he even been cultivating? Even for a First-Class True Intent Transcendent, becoming a Realm God within three thousand years is standard, and reaching the Second Heaven usually takes a hundred thousand years. But Dongbo Xueying is a First-Class True Intent Transcendent—and an exceptionally terrifying one at that!”*
She had just heard it—Dongbo Xueying had mastered a First-Class Divine Heart in nine hundred years.
“From now on, you shall be my personal disciple,” the Blood Blade Divine Emperor declared casually.
“Yes, Master!” Dongbo Xueying couldn’t hide his excitement. Though he had anticipated this—being the master of Red Rock Mountain, he understood the implications of his cultivation speed—becoming a personal disciple of the Divine Emperor was an exceedingly rare honor. In this era, apart from the immortal Ancient Monarch Guzang and Qing Jun, the Divine Emperor had no other personal disciples. Dongbo Xueying was the only Realm God among them!
“Greetings, Senior Brother,” a voice chimed in.
Dongbo Xueying glanced over to see Gongfeng forcing a smile, her demeanor now obsequious.
The hierarchy of the sect was strict.
Personal disciples, inner disciples, and nominal disciples were worlds apart in status.
“Gongfeng, you may leave,” the Divine Emperor instructed.
“Yes.” Gongfeng obediently withdrew.
Once outside the garden, her mind was in turmoil. *”How could this happen? How could Dongbo Xueying be this strong? How is this possible?”* As a personal disciple, Dongbo Xueying’s status within the Yin Stone Villa would now be second only to the Divine Emperor himself. Though he wouldn’t have absolute authority over life and death regarding inner or nominal disciples, he wielded significant disciplinary power—enough to force Gongfeng out of the villa.
Gongfeng’s position, being able to serve directly under the Divine Emperor and manage the Yin Stone Villa, granted her immense influence—far surpassing even the Three Heavens Realm God bodyguards. Her family had flourished because of her standing. If she were expelled due to offending a personal disciple, the enemies she and her family had made would surely seize the opportunity to strike.
*”What should I do? I must find a way to fix this!”* Panic gnawed at her.
—
Meanwhile, Dongbo Xueying stood respectfully before his master.
Once Gongfeng had left, the Blood Blade Divine Emperor spoke again. “As my personal disciple, I will show no favoritism. You, too, shall have the opportunity to obtain a supreme technique.”
Dongbo Xueying’s eyes gleamed.
*A supreme technique?*
“This technique is of utmost yang and unyielding sharpness, rivaling Qing Jun’s *Mountain World*,” the Divine Emperor said.
Dongbo Xueying’s heart leaped. A technique on par with *Mountain World*?
“Don’t rejoice too soon. Though the technique is imparted, your mastery of it depends entirely on yourself. Over the eons, I’ve taken many personal disciples, yet only Qing Jun and Guzang became mighty figures,” the Divine Emperor cautioned. “Guzang trained diligently in the technique I bestowed—no less formidable than Qing Jun’s—yet his strength pales in comparison.”
“I understand, Master,” Dongbo Xueying acknowledged.
“Qing Jun mastered two supreme techniques, yet his greatest achievement remains *Mountain World*,” the Divine Emperor continued. “Supreme techniques are powerful, but not everyone can master them—or wield them to their full potential.”
“Still, the one I grant you should suit you best. The secret arts you obtained in two of the Lockworld Tower’s realms were fragmented pieces of this very technique,” the Divine Emperor explained. “This technique uses the World Divine Heart as its core, unifying all other divine hearts…”
“However, such a technique is not lightly bestowed.”
“To earn it, you must pass my trial,” the Divine Emperor declared.
Dongbo Xueying understood—being given a chance to obtain a supreme technique through a trial was already a tremendous boon. “Master, what trial must I undertake?”
“Simple. In the mountains beside the Yin Stone Villa, a prisoner is held. Kill him, and the technique shall be yours,” the Blood Blade Divine Emperor said with a faint smile.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage