Chapter 408: Forging Ahead

On the other side, the master of the Black Bone Mountain calmly issued an order: “Kill him. I believe you can do it.”

The purple-scaled man hesitated before responding, “Mountain Master, his strength is formidable. One-on-one, none of us in the Ice Iron Star would be his match. We’ll need to rely on the terrain advantage within the fortress and possibly a coordinated assault! But if we do that, the fortress will inevitably sustain some damage, and our forces will suffer casualties.”

“Hmm.” The Black Bone Mountain Master coldly acknowledged before cutting off the communication.

The purple-scaled man finally let out a sigh of relief.

Under the Mountain Master’s command, one had to be cautious in all matters. The last time, the Eighth Commander had secretly kept the most beautiful woman for himself while gathering offerings. Logically, a mere transcendent beauty shouldn’t have been a big deal. Yet, the Black Bone Mountain Master had the Eighth Commander flogged to death with the ‘Heart-Searing Whip’—a cruel punishment where each lash inflicted soul-piercing pain, enough to kill even a deity.

Thus, when it came to matters involving the Mountain Master, none of the subordinates dared to slack off in the slightest.

“Commander, what should we do now?” Two attendant beauties stood nearby.

“Whether he’s here to attack the fortress or rescue someone, he’ll have to fight his way in,” the purple-scaled man said coldly, staring at the scene projected in midair. “Let him come. Hmph, the fortress is riddled with traps and formations. Once he steps inside, he’s as good as dead.”

The two beauties nodded in agreement.

They, too, understood just how impregnable this fortress was.

…

Outside the main gate of the fortress.

Dongbo Xueying stepped onto the hard, ice-covered ground and approached the fallen corpse of the Moklou Beast. Its skull was caved in, purple blood oozing from its mouth and nostrils—clearly lifeless.

“These divine realm creatures possess immense power, but it’s not earned through cultivation. They’re bred for it—quick to gain strength, but with glaring weaknesses. The Moklou Beast’s fatal flaw is its head. Shatter its skull, and it’s done for,” Dongbo Xueying mused. “But even knowing this weakness, defeating it is no easy feat. With the suppression of the formations, I couldn’t bypass space to strike directly inside its skull. Its head is incredibly tough—my first strike didn’t finish it off; the second one did.”

The Moklou Beast was strong.

But he was stronger! After all, he had mastered the third layer of the *Myriad Tribulations Indestructible Body*!

Of course, he had long since grasped the first-grade divine heart, the ‘World Heart,’ which meant he could theoretically cultivate the fourth layer of the *Myriad Tribulations Indestructible Body*. But if he did, the powerful beings observing the ‘Divine Court’s Myriad Flowers Banquet’ would instantly recognize his first-grade divine heart. His primary goal in participating in the banquet was to temper himself and accelerate his mastery of a second first-grade divine heart, advancing to the second-level Heaven God realm.

Naturally, obtaining a Myriad Flower True Fruit and becoming a disciple of a formidable Great Power were also part of his ambitions.

“Hmph.”

Dongbo Xueying eyed the massive fortress gate and snorted coldly. He swung his fiery-red spear, its shaft elongating to hundreds of meters, slicing through the air before smashing into the main gate.

**BOOM!**

The gate shuddered violently, denting and twisting, revealing ugly cracks.

With the third layer of the *Myriad Tribulations Indestructible Body*, his strength and speed had reached the threshold of a Heaven God—surpassing even the Moklou Beast in raw power! The gap between a peak deity and a Heaven God was vast, like an insurmountable chasm. When Dongbo Xueying had mastered the second layer, he had already exceeded peak deity strength. The third layer was even more monstrous.

In truth, the *Great Chaotic True Force* was superior in terms of raw power. Unfortunately, despite having reached peak deity level in the ‘Star Heart,’ he still hadn’t mastered the second layer of the *Great Chaotic True Force*. After all, the technique only had six layers, and the second layer’s difficulty was comparable to the third layer of the *Myriad Tribulations Indestructible Body*.

**BOOM!** Another strike followed through the cracks in the gate, sending one of the doors flying inward.

“Ah!”

A scream echoed from inside the fortress—someone had been hiding behind the gate, waiting to ambush.

Dongbo Xueying smirked and stepped inside. His strides seemed casual, but each step warped space, covering vast distances effortlessly.

“This intruder has mastered the Space Heart. Be careful!”

“Everyone, get ready. Await my command.”

“Understood.”

“Is this kid really this foolish, charging in blindly like this?”

“Few who reach deityhood are idiots. Stay sharp.”

Dongbo Xueying advanced along the fortress’s broad corridor, the path growing darker as he went. Crystals embedded in the walls emitted an eerie green glow.

“Interesting,” he murmured, twirling his spear as if strolling through a garden.

Suddenly—

**Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!**

Five streaks of light shot toward him—silver-armored guards, their armor etched with divine runes that amplified their collective power. They arced through the air like a spider’s web, converging from five directions. As they closed in, their bodies turned translucent.

“Chaotic Annihilation!” Dongbo Xueying swung his spear with overwhelming force. This move, honed over a millennium, embodied his insights into the ‘Chaotic Void’—though he had yet to grasp the Chaos Heart.

**BOOM!**

The spear swept out.

Space twisted and shattered into darkness, a phantom black star swirling around the spear’s path. Everything in its wake collapsed inward. The five guards, now ethereal, paled and scrambled to evade.

But Dongbo Xueying’s spear was too fast.

One guard brushed by the spear’s edge—his illusory body instantly disintegrated. Another, struck head-on, met certain death.

In an instant, three of the five attackers lay dead. The remaining two fled in terror.

“This intruder’s mastery is terrifying!”

“He must have a secret technique!”

The survivors were stunned.

Against the Moklou Beast, Dongbo Xueying hadn’t needed to use a secret technique. This time, he’d employed one for efficiency. While many could reach peak deity strength, few could develop ‘secret techniques’ based on the profound laws of the universe. His ‘Chaotic Annihilation’ was tailor-made for overwhelming force.

“Hmph.” Dongbo Xueying ignored the fleeing guards and pressed onward.

The fortress was vast.

Ambushes came intermittently—lightning-fast strikes, insidious entanglements—but none posed a threat. Against his absolute strength and speed, they were laughable. The *Myriad Tribulations Indestructible Body* excelled in survival, balancing power and agility. His speed, combined with the ‘Extreme Penetration’ technique, far outstripped his foes.

…

“The first layer has been breached.”

“The second layer can’t hold him either. Over half of the thirty guards sent to intercept him are dead.”

“His spear technique is flawless. He’s not just strong—his speed and area attacks leave no weaknesses.”

In the fortress’s central hall, three subordinates reported anxiously.

The purple-scaled man stared at the projection in the air, his expression grim. “A warrior of this caliber should be focused on cultivation, preparing for the Divine Court’s Myriad Flowers Banquet. Why is he attacking our Ice Iron Star?”

It was clear now—the spear-wielding youth’s strength far exceeded that of an ordinary peak deity. Such a talent should have brighter prospects. Why waste time here?

“Commander?” The three subordinates looked to him.

“Don’t panic. He’s about to reach the third layer… The deeper he goes, the deadlier the fortress becomes. The Mountain Master’s formations are waiting. Pity. Such a skilled warrior, doomed to die here.” The purple-scaled man sneered. The losses were heavy, and the Mountain Master would likely punish him. But his confidence in killing the intruder remained unshaken—or rather, his faith in the Mountain Master’s formations was absolute.

…

Dongbo Xueying advanced relentlessly, the fortress’s defenders retreating in disarray, many too afraid to engage. The main corridor, bathed in eerie green crystal light, stretched before him.

“Hmm?” He frowned as he reached a new section.

Ahead, a hundred-meter-long silver-white ice dragon materialized, its body wreathed in freezing mist, its scales etched with intricate divine runes that pulsed with celestial energy.

Dongbo Xueying’s eyes narrowed. “An impressive formation—one that channels the entire Ice Iron Star’s frigid energy to conjure this ice dragon. This must be the work of a Heaven God.”

**ROAR!**

The ice dragon let out a thunderous cry, its tail lashing out and denting the walls. Then, like a phantom, it lunged.

“Stronger than the Moklou Beast,” Dongbo Xueying assessed instantly.