In unison, the mighty figures and Four Heavens Realm Gods present noticed the token that had appeared in the hands of the Blood Blade Divine Emperor. Even though they had been engaged in lighthearted conversation earlier, their keen senses allowed them to detect it immediately.
“Blood Blade, are you planning to take a disciple?” A dignified and elegant woman seated on a throne of equal height to the Divine Emperor asked with interest.
“How rare! It’s been a long time since you last took a disciple, Brother Blood Blade. Even those with extraordinary talents, such as those who comprehended a First-grade True Intent, rarely caught your attention. Yet now, you’ve bestowed a token. I wonder which lucky young one has earned this honor,” remarked the towering and majestic Abyss Overlord beside him. In the entire Divine Realm and Abyss, only a handful dared to address the Divine Emperor so casually as “Blood Blade.”
Even the likes of the Bamboo Mountain Pavilion Master and Pang Yi had to respectfully address him as “Your Majesty.” Those carefree mighty figures, such as the renowned “North Profound Palace Master,” also had to bow and use the same honorific in the Divine Emperor’s presence.
Blood Blade Divine Emperor…
After all, he was universally acknowledged as the strongest in the Divine Realm! His influence extended deep into the Dark Abyss as well. For this grand Myriad Flowers Banquet, two of the three supreme Overlords of the Dark Abyss had come to attend.
“Go,” the Blood Blade Divine Emperor said as he handed the token to a Realm God attendant beside him.
“Yes.”
The Realm God attendant took the token and departed respectfully.
At the banquet, everyone was abuzz with curiosity—who could have possibly drawn the Divine Emperor’s attention to take them as a disciple?
“Hmph…” The Blood Blade Divine Emperor gazed down from his throne, smiling faintly but offering no further explanation.
In his heart, however, he recalled the detailed intelligence report—one of many concerning the participants of the Divine Court Battle. “Dongbo Xueying, born in the material world of the Xia Clan, orphaned at eight and raised by two uncles alongside his younger brother…” The report was exhaustive, chronicling everything from his birth to his participation in the Divine Court Battle.
Even his battle with Xiang Pangyun, his fall into the Blackwind Abyss, and his subsequent cultivation were meticulously recorded.
“This young one is quite fortunate, able to remain with his wife to this day,” the Divine Emperor mused silently. Talent and potential were one thing, but Dongbo Xueying’s past experiences had touched something deep within him, prompting his decision to take him as a disciple.
Such was the way of the Divine Emperor when choosing disciples.
When the mood struck him, and he found someone worthy, he would take them in. Otherwise, even those with First-grade True Intent wouldn’t merit a second glance.
The Divine Emperor’s gaze grew distant, his thoughts drifting…
Long, long ago…
When he was still insignificant, not even a Transcendent, his entire being had been devoted to cultivation. His resolve was unshakable! For the sake of his path, he had left behind his beloved and embarked on a solitary journey of hardship. After enduring countless trials, he finally managed to join a sect. By the time he became a Transcendent, further tests delayed him for another century. When he finally left the sect to wander the world, he returned—only to find his wife already frail with age.
Desperate to help her attain Transcendence, he sought treasures at any cost. Yet fate was cruel…
…
Much later, when the Blood Blade Divine Emperor possessed unimaginable power, he resurrected his wife. Though her cultivation was weak—so weak that she could never have reached Transcendence on her own—he spared no expense to elevate her to the First Heaven Realm God. Yet her spiritual cultivation remained insufficient. After over five billion years as a Realm God, her True Divinity Heart eventually collapsed, leading to her demise.
Her realm was too low—she couldn’t even seal her memories and reincarnate. Only Third and Fourth Heaven Realm Gods could perform such a feat.
Death by True Divinity Heart collapse was irreversible.
Even if resurrected from the River of Time, the revived individual would retain all memories, only to suffer the same fate again.
Still, during those long years, the Divine Emperor had stayed by her side, sharing every moment.
“I wonder whom His Majesty has chosen as his disciple.”
“We’ll find out soon enough.”
While the Divine Emperor reminisced about his deepest emotions, the other mighty figures and Four Heavens Realm Gods watched the Realm God attendant closely.
…
The attendant had reached the outermost area of the banquet, where the 1,900 Deity-level experts were seated.
“Another Realm God attendant is coming.”
“He’s delivering a token.”
“Who will it be for?”
“Those of us ranked lower with long cultivation histories have little hope.”
Though reason told them the odds were slim, every one of those Deity-level experts yearned for a miracle.
The attendant walked toward the group from Anhai Prefecture.
“Could it be me?” Jiu She’s eyes lit up with hope as he watched the attendant approach.
“Coming this way again?” The Drunken Lone Guest was equally surprised. Dongbo Xueying, the Seventh Plum Rain, and Jiu She—three from Anhai Prefecture had already received tokens, an unusually high proportion.
“He’s heading toward Dongbo. He’s already gotten five tokens. Could this be another for him?”
“Of course—he’s only 2,300 years into cultivation, and his strength is exceptional.”
“What does youth matter? He might hit a bottleneck and stall for tens of thousands of years.”
As the attendant moved in that direction, many of the Deity-level experts, realizing their own hopes were dashed, felt a pang of resentment. Dongbo Xueying already had five tokens—was this one also for him?
Huff.
Jiu She watched eagerly. “Though Duke Yu took me as a disciple, I’m only an inner disciple. If a mighty figure were to accept me as a personal disciple, I’d choose the better option! Hmph, the Drunken Lone Guest is younger than me, yet he became a personal disciple despite being weaker. I’ve mastered the rare Boundless Divine Heart—I’m fully qualified to be a personal disciple!”
He looked up expectantly.
But the attendant walked right past him, stopping instead beside Dongbo Xueying.
“Dongbo!” The attendant smiled meaningfully. “Congratulations.”
With that, he handed over a crimson token.
“It really is him!”
“Another for Dongbo!”
“He already has five tokens. What’s the point? He can only choose one master in the end. Why give him so many when the rest of us have none?”
“Ugh, seriously!”
Disappointment rippled through the crowd. Though they had guessed it might be Dongbo Xueying, seeing it confirmed still stung.
…
If the Deity-level experts were merely disappointed, the Four Heavens Realm Gods and mighty figures at the banquet were astonished, murmuring among themselves.
“His Majesty chose Dongbo?” The Anhai Prefecture Lord watched from afar as the attendant handed the token to Dongbo Xueying, unable to hide his amazement.
“My junior brother, accepted by the Divine Emperor himself.” Hui Ming smiled warmly, his joy evident.
“Excellent, truly excellent.” The Redfire Ancestor nodded in approval, grinning broadly.
…
Dongbo Xueying, however, remained calm. After receiving five tokens already, one more made little difference.
“Please let it be one of the Three Ancestors, please let it be one of the Three Ancestors…” he silently prayed as he reached out to take the crimson token. In the Blood Blade Divine Court, shades of red and crimson were common—he didn’t notice anything unusual about this particular token.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage