Chapter 288: Power

Lord Youlan, General Kumo, and Nonno An all sensed the scene before them shifting. Their minds were forcibly dragged into the Illusory Realm.

“Hmph, do you think such a feeble illusion can deceive me?” Lord Youlan snorted coldly. With a surge of powerful will, his mind instantly broke free, and the real world reappeared before his eyes. He, Youlan, had risen from the boundless abyss of darkness, climbing from a weak, lowly demon through endless slaughter to his present might. He had encountered every manner of mind-controlling trick imaginable.

Generals Kumo and Nonno An were also extraordinary beings, not so easily dominated by the Illusory Realm. They too broke free in an instant.

“This is…”

Though freed, their expressions subtly changed.

For in the real world around them, countless mists had appeared—vast, white fog stretching across a range of thousands of miles, shrouding the sun.

“All around us is now an Illusory Domain,” Lord Youlan observed calmly. Ripples began emanating from his body, spreading outward. Wherever they passed, space trembled, and the white fog shattered, clearing a radius of nearly a mile around him.

General Kumo and Lord Nonno An stood nearby, their bodies protected by layers of profound laws, shielding them from the domain’s influence.

“Within my Time Domain, all is now a white mist illusion,” Lord Youlan continued. “The domain spans at least a thousand miles. His true intent is not Shadow, but Illusory Realm. For it to cover such a range, he must have at least reached the second stage of Illusory Realm True Intent. Until he attacks, we cannot locate him. Only when he strikes can we seize the chance to kill him!”

Without an attack, none could find Dongbo Xueying.

But once he attacked…

That would also be the moment Dongbo Xueying was most vulnerable!

“Lord, this Dongbo Xueying’s attacks are too weak. I stand here, and he cannot even harm me,” General Kumo declared confidently.

“Hehehe, this Dongbo Xueying dares to claim he will kill me, even arrogantly declaring I’ll be the first to die… Hehehe… Lord, leave him to me!” The black-robed Nonno An, his green eyes gleaming, scanned the surroundings with a murderous gaze.

“Hmm.”

Lord Youlan nodded.

In the abyss of darkness, he had faced far more terrifying and bizarre foes. To him, Dongbo Xueying was nothing. He believed his subordinates could handle this matter easily.

…

Around the Ding Jiu warship, white mist also swirled.

Inside the ship, using the divine warship’s detection methods, the mist posed no obstacle. They could clearly observe Lord Youlan and the other three.

“Is this Dongbo Xueying’s Illusory Realm True Intent?” Master Chen, Mountain Master He, and the other Xia Clan transcendents watched tensely.

“Master Chen, I ask for your help sealing off the space within ten thousand miles,” a sudden voice echoed through the warship’s main hall.

“Seal it?” Master Chen was taken aback.

“If space is sealed, the three of them won’t be able to teleport away. I’ll then have ample time to deal with them one by one.”

“Alright.” Master Chen nodded, while Mountain Master He immediately took control of the entire Ding Jiu warship. This time, it only required a portion of his demi-god transcendent power.

Vroom~~~

Within ten thousand miles around the Ding Jiu warship, everything seemed to freeze. The power of heaven and earth was locked down, and space was forcibly sealed.

“Is Xueying being too reckless?” Chi Qiubai murmured in concern.

“He is. Although the Illusory Realm True Intent is strange, can it alone truly deal with Lord Youlan and the others?” Master Chen shook his head. “I tried to advise him, but it was useless!”

“I’ve fought Nonno An before,” Si Kongyang frowned. “He has a very unique undying body. I couldn’t even wound him.”

“None of this matters now!”

Master Bu said coldly. “We couldn’t stop Xueying either. So now, we can only hope for Xueying. Perhaps he can kill Nonno An?”

The atmosphere among them was heavy.

The Xia Clan transcendents all hoped Dongbo Xueying would win, crushing their enemies’ arrogance. Killing one would be even better. Yet reason told them how difficult it was to slay a master capable of dominating an era. Even with the Nine Dragon Fire God Armor, Si Kongyang could not scratch even the surface of Nonno An.

To kill?

Beyond that, the Xia Clan transcendents were even more concerned for Dongbo Xueying’s safety. They feared he might not kill his enemies, only to die himself.

…

Lord Youlan hovered in midair, waves of power radiating outward. General Kumo remained calm. The black-robed Nonno An, eyes gleaming with murder, scanned the surroundings, sneering, “Dongbo Xueying, come! Come! Let me see how—”

Before he could finish.

A crimson spear, appearing from the void, suddenly surged forward with terrifying killing intent. In an instant, it pierced through layers of space and impaled the black-robed Nonno An through the skull!

Tearing through—

Yet Nonno An merely sneered, not even attempting to dodge, letting the spear pierce straight into his forehead.

“Die for me!!!” Nonno An roared, and with that roar, a terrifying, silent scream surged along the Starstone Fire Cloud Spear, penetrating into the Illusory Realm. At their level, they could forcefully channel their immense power into the Illusory Realm.

Within the Illusory Realm.

Dongbo Xueying coldly watched the silent scream enter. As it did, its power diminished by ninety percent. The remaining force could not even shake the protective Star True Intent surrounding Dongbo Xueying.

Star True Intent was renowned for defense and power. Even in the real world, such a scream of ten thousand ghosts could not shake him, let alone an attack weakened by entering the Illusory Realm.

“Ahh!” Nonno An roared in fury, but suddenly his expression changed. “Damn it!”

Boom!

His black-robed body exploded, splitting into over a hundred ghosts, scattering in all directions. Red-robed seductive women, sinister youths, aged elders—all kinds of ghosts howled, “Lord, Dongbo Xueying’s spear technique is terrifyingly powerful, filled with extreme destruction. My body can’t withstand it.”

As he spoke,

“Boom!” Another spear shot from the void, fast—faster than lightning! This strike was not only swift but carried a terrifying sharpness.

Almost as soon as it appeared, it pierced into one of the ghosts. The ghost screamed and began to crumble into nothingness.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Again and again, the spear emerged from the void. Each time, it struck a ghost, each time annihilating it. No matter how Nonno An tried to possess new forms, it was useless.

“Amazing! Amazing! So amazing!” The Xia Clan transcendents aboard the Ding Jiu warship were excited and thrilled. They had previously worried for Dongbo Xueying’s safety, but now he was utterly dominating!

“I couldn’t kill those ghosts, yet Xueying can pierce each with a single strike,” Si Kongyang exclaimed in awe. “Incredible! Possessing great strength alone is but a joke. One must also master profound laws. Otherwise, strength is useless. Xueying’s Ultimate Penetration True Intent truly disrupts that undying body. No need for many strikes—just one is enough to kill.”

“Never imagined Xueying would grow this strong over the years,” Master Chen smiled slightly. They had guessed Dongbo Xueying would improve somewhat, but not this much.

“To kill a ghost body with just one strike?” General Kumo was astonished. “Such power?”

Lord Youlan frowned. “It’s the power of a third-stage, second-tier True Intent! However, Ultimate Penetration is a purely offensive, extreme True Intent. I suspect Dongbo Xueying is only at the peak of the second stage!”

“Even at the peak of the second stage, Ultimate Penetration rivals a third-stage, second-tier True Intent’s destructive power,” General Kumo said worriedly. “That kind of destruction is terrifying. It already surpasses the Xia Clan’s demi-god number one. Compared to Nonno An, he only lacks a divine artifact.”

A third-stage, second-tier True Intent master wielding a divine artifact usually commanded the power to dominate an era.

Dongbo Xueying’s “Ultimate Penetration” already matched that level, lacking only a divine artifact.

For them, a divine artifact generally doubled one’s power.

Without one, he was slightly weaker, but still on the same level—no fundamental difference.

“You are gravely mistaken! You underestimate this Xia Clan transcendent who has endured the torment of Voodoo,” declared Lord Youlan with solemn gravity. “He surpasses even Nonno An. Had he only mastered the Ultimate Penetration, he might have been slightly inferior to Nonno An. But he wields the True Intent of the Illusory Realm as well! The fusion of Illusory Realm and Ultimate Penetration creates a terrifying synergy—one that would make any foe tremble in dread!”

(Note: “巫毒” is rendered as “Voodoo” to maintain the dark mystical connotation while ensuring cultural accessibility. The names “Xia Clan,” “Nonno An,” and “Lord Youlan” are preserved per the original pinyin. The phrasing amplifies the fantasy tone with dramatic cadence and heightened descriptors like “torment,” “solemn gravity,” and “tremble in dread.”)