Chapter 316: Inescapable

The sky was forever night, and the stars that adorned it were ever-glowing—this was all the creation of the mighty master of Redstone Mountain.

Under the night sky,

Within the vast Vine-Leaf World, Dongbo Xueying and his companions had stopped at the foot of a desolate hill. A campfire crackled as they roasted meat, slicing off chunks to devour hungrily, occasionally sipping on delicious fruit wine. They would even glance upward at the dazzling stars above, so brilliant they could make one dizzy.

“Ah, what a relief,” Dongbo Xueying smiled slightly. “After six days, we can finally relax.”

“Thanks to you, Dongbo,” said Fu Shu, the elderly, bald man in golden robes. “If not for you and the Manor Lord, I would have been dead long ago.”

“Oh, we each have our roles! Without your ability to detect enemies from afar, Fu Shu, we wouldn’t have been this relaxed,” Dongbo replied.

Chen Jiu nodded in agreement. “In these six days, we’ve been attacked fifteen times. Six came suddenly, but the other nine were long-range assaults. According to the intelligence, now that we’re heading toward the long vine at the center of the Vine-Leaf World, there should be no more danger along the way. Just over thirty thousand miles left. After we finish eating and drinking, we can fly straight there.”

“Mm,” Dongbo Xueying and the old man in golden robes both nodded.

Based on the intelligence provided by those of the Realm God level,

Passing through the first Vine-Leaf World, aside from the dangers that accompany unexpected encounters, normal travel would result in fifteen attacks. Surviving all fifteen meant no more attacks would come.

Dongbo Xueying inwardly felt relieved.

Thankfully, Fu Shu’s ‘Spatial Eye’ allowed them to detect enemies from afar, giving them time to prepare. They could even use their speed to eliminate foes one by one. Even if enemies emerged suddenly from hidden spaces, Fu Shu would detect them immediately.

Without Fu Shu, those enemies might have remained hidden until they were right in front of them, launching sudden assassinations and ambushes—a true nightmare.

“Let’s go,” Chen Jiu stood up.

“Tsk tsk tsk,” Dongbo Xueying quickly finished the meat on the bone in his hand, then pulled out a flask and took a swig of an antidote.

“Hey Dongbo,” Chen Jiu chuckled, “you’re suffering from voodoo, yet you still enjoy eating and drinking?”

“Of course I can feel it! Don’t believe me? You can try it yourself,” Dongbo teased.

“No thanks! I still remember how You Lan, the Lord, screamed in pain—I have no desire to experience that,” Chen Jiu replied.

The three resumed their rapid flight under the night sky, chatting casually as they traveled.

They flew with ease, chatting along the way, feeling relaxed.

Since they knew there were no more threats aside from unexpected encounters, they naturally felt at ease.

As for unexpected encounters?

Dongbo Xueying’s Illusory Realm Clone was already scouting ahead. They were following the exact path his clone had already flown, so it was naturally safe.

……

They flew on, drawing closer to the central, massive vine.

“The first Vine-Leaf World wasn’t too bad,” Dongbo thought to himself. Although there had been minor troubles, he and Chen Jiu had easily dealt with them together.

Just as Dongbo Xueying was in a particularly good mood, suddenly—

Buzz!

As the three flew forward, they suddenly collided with a ripple in space—and then vanished.

……

“What’s going on?!” Dongbo Xueying, Chen Jiu, and Fu Shu all changed expressions.

They had been flying normally, not even moving at full speed—otherwise, they wouldn’t have taken six entire days to travel six hundred thousand miles! So how had they suddenly arrived here?

“Where is this?” Dongbo Xueying carefully observed their surroundings. They were inside a massive sealed chamber, a kilometer long, three hundred meters wide, and three hundred meters tall.

Inside the sealed chamber, it was empty except for a distant corner where a statue stood beside a box.

It was a statue of a fat warrior holding a spiked club, and the box beneath it was a black metallic chest.

“This shouldn’t be happening,” Fu Shu frowned. “This path was clearly traveled by your Illusory Clone. If your clone didn’t enter, how did we?”

“An unexpected encounter!” Chen Jiu frowned. “We’ve run into one.”

“Trouble,” Dongbo Xueying also frowned.

Fu Shu’s face darkened slightly. “We’ve been avoiding unexpected encounters all along, yet we still ended up inside one.”

The Xia Clan’s ancestors, the demigods, had desperately sought such encounters, but Dongbo Xueying, Chen Jiu, and the others had done their best to avoid them. Because with unexpected encounters, no one could predict whether they were minor or major. And major encounters often brought major dangers—dangers they might not be able to resist, and which could cost them their lives.

“Encounters aren’t always obvious,” Chen Jiu said helplessly. “Some are hidden, and some even move around constantly. We just had the bad luck to run into one. Be on high alert—danger could strike at any moment.”

“Mm,” Dongbo Xueying nodded.

The three of them focused their gazes on the corner of the sealed chamber—the fat warrior statue and the black metallic chest beneath it.

There was nothing else here—just the statue and the chest.

The statue and chest were likely the spoils of this unexpected encounter. The danger wasn’t in the spoils being ordinary—it was in them being too valuable.

“It looks pretty average,” Chen Jiu said. “If I’m not mistaken, that statue is a Divine Realm War Construct. In the first Vine-Leaf World, almost all Divine Realm War Constructs are at the Demigod level.”

Dongbo Xueying nodded.

A Demigod-level Divine Realm War Construct wasn’t particularly rare. Generally, it was about as powerful as a top ten Demigod ranked fighter. If it was among the top three, it was considered quite formidable. Divine-level War Constructs were far more valuable—so valuable that even the lowest-grade Divine-level War Construct was worth over a hundred Demigod-level ones! And the danger they represented was equally great.

But Dongbo Xueying had no need for them—Divine-level War Constructs couldn’t even enter the Xia Clan’s world.

“Just a Divine Realm War Construct?” Dongbo Xueying relaxed slightly. This seemed like a simple encounter. Even Old Master Blackwind had obtained several Divine-level War Constructs, like the Five Shadows.

“Wait,” Dongbo Xueying’s pupils suddenly constricted.

“Maybe there’s something inside the chest,” Chen Jiu said, noticing Dongbo’s expression change.

Dongbo immediately sent a mental message: “Look at the weapon and armor of that Divine Realm War Construct.”

Chen Jiu looked closely, even using the invisible laws of his Eight Dragon True Intent to probe. His expression immediately changed.

The armor worn by the fat warrior statue and the spiked club in its hand—were both Divine Treasures!

“Divine Treasures?” Dongbo and Chen Jiu exchanged glances, instantly becoming more alert and cautious.

Ordinary Divine Treasures were slightly more valuable than Demigod-level War Constructs, but not by much.

But—

The armor and spiked club were completely different. A single piece of defensive Divine Treasure was generally worth ten offensive Divine Treasures—assuming they were all at the lowest Divine Rank.

“This is bad,” Chen Jiu frowned as he sent a mental message. “Dongbo, send your Illusory Clone to check what’s inside the chest immediately.”

“Opening the chest might awaken that Divine Realm War Construct and bring danger,” Dongbo warned.

“Right,” Chen Jiu prepared himself.

Dongbo nodded, then willed it, and an Illusory Clone instantly condensed into existence—identical to Dongbo Xueying himself. It appeared beside the statue and, in a flash, reached out to grab the black metallic chest, attempting to open it.

“Get lost!”

The eyes of the fat warrior statue suddenly blazed with light, and it swung its spiked club in a flash. Standing right beside the chest, it naturally reacted with incredible speed. The spiked club struck the Illusory Clone directly.

Boom!

The Illusory Clone was much weaker, possessing only the strength of an elite Demigod. It was immediately sent flying backward, a large hole torn through its chest.

“This Divine Realm War Construct isn’t much of a threat,” Dongbo transmitted mentally. The fat warrior statue was only at the peak of the Demigod level—perhaps top five among Demigods. As for the Divine Treasures? The War Construct couldn’t activate them. On it, they were merely decorations.

“Watch out!” Dongbo’s expression suddenly changed drastically.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Jiu and Fu Shu both looked puzzled. They strained to observe but saw nothing.

Crack!

A thick, deep-blue, flexible tentacle suddenly emerged from the void. It lashed out like a whip toward Chen Jiu! The force of the strike caused the space within the entire sealed chamber to ripple violently.